A song of Ice and Walkers
by Ariel Maria
Summary: Worlds collide when Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen reach Rick Grimes world in a mysterious way. They must learn how their fates are crossed and how to destroy herds of the undead that won't stop.
1. Chapter 1

The war in Westeros had been a disaster. The very foundation of the land had been corrupted with blood and death. Jon had felt it the moment it had all happened. No one was safe. The Lannisters now ruled, the Iron Throne belonging to them wholly. He had heard of so many deaths. His own father, his brother, Bran, Rickon, Arya, and even Catelyn. Other news reached him as well, of how the North was now overrun with Southern people who were desecrating those sacred lands with their new gods and customs. He shuddered to think of it, to think of the state of the Seven Kingdoms now, in the golden hands of the Lannisters. Had this always been the fate?

Castle Black had faired no better. They had tasted a bitter invasion. It had been passed around that Lord Snow, Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, had sworn allegiance to Stan is Baratheon. True or not it was believed and Tywin Lannister sent his troops in, his sigil flying high and had destroyed the already crumbling Castle Black. Jon saw more people die and he was glad that he had sent Sam away. He wouldn't have been able to carry his death on his shoulders as well.

Despite the massacre Jon had been able to get away, following the tunnels that led to the other side of the Wall and made it out to the icy and barren wasteland beyond the Wall. He had lived on his own, barely getting any good, Ghost by his side always. He saw things through his eyes, felt and tasted a bit of freedom. His dreams were haunted by the defeat that the Night's Watch had suffered. Had he been responsible? Was he the one to blame? And on top of all that he was haunted by the ghosts of his family. Northern blood still flowed through his veins and he felt a sense of the strength of the wolves, of his pack,that was now extinguished. He hadn't been able to help them. He had sworn the oath and yet he had also been unable to save his brothers in black. What use was he then?

He stumbled out of his small hut, the morning light glinting off the ivory snow. He looked back towards the direction he had decided the Wall was in. He couldn't really be sure. He had been traveling for so long that the Wall was merely a distant memory.

"Ghost." He called out, his voice wavering from both hunger and cold.

The direwolf came slinking up beside him, his white coat shiny and his eyes fierce as always. They walked for what seemed like hours and yet the sun never once faltered from its place in the sky. Jon was distraught and pulled apart by hopelessness. How could he survive like this? He had helped destroy his brothers and the wildlings with what he thought would be a smart plan. What a leader he was.

With relief he rested back against a tree. He closed his eyes, sitting down on the soft snow with a sigh. Ghost must have went elsewhere because he no longer felt him near as he let sleep take over. The sound of footsteps crushing the snow woke him up. He sucked in his breath and looked around for Ghost.

"Ghost!" He shouted but he didn't come.

He hid behind the tree, his gloved hands clutching the hilt of his sword.

"Who's there? A woman's voice called out. It was soft and yet so commanding he felt the obligation to show himself.

"Who are you?" Jon called out, his voice equally as commanding.

"My name is Daenerys Stormborn of house Targaryen" It seemed like she hesitated, like she wanted to continue but she did not.

Jon felt shock storm through him. His brows furrowed as he came out from behind the tree. He had heard what had happened to the Targaryen princess who had tried ton return to the Seven Kingdoms to regain her father's throne. She had also been defeated, a trick apparently had been made on her by the devious Tywin Lannister. Her dragons, the ones that she had been rumored to have, had been killed. Who had killed them? Who dared kill a dragon?

"THE Daenerys Targaryen?"

She looked at him, trying to look him over and decide on what kind of man he was. "I have found something. Come help me with it." She spoke like a queen. What was she doing beyond the Wall? Seeking an escape from her newly formed enemies in Westeros?

He didn't think twice. He only followed after her, Ghost would follow soon enough. They walked for awhile. She was weathered. Her silver hair was in a tangled mess and dampened by the recent snowfall. Her clothes seemed to be rags, her boots wet by her walking. Was this truly the Mother of Dragons?

Eventually she stopped. Jon looked up at where they were. It was a cave with a wide mouth.

"What is this place?" He questioned.

She turned to look at him, her beauty stunning him. She had a strength in her features, an unrelenting determination. This was a woman who had been through everything and had survived.

"I am not sure." She said. Before she walked inside.

Jon didn't hesitate, he just walked in after her. The cave was warm, brightly lit. It seemed almost unnatural.

"Here." She gestured towards the source of the light. It was bright, like a fire. "I am not afraid of fire but this…it's something else." Something flashed in her violet eyes. Curiosity? Fear?

Jon stepped closer to the fire, the heat warm and almost comforting. The patter of steps echoed from behind them. Daenerys gasped and Jon turned around. Ghost stood there, watching them.

"Don.'t be afraid. Ghost. Here." And just like that Ghost came to his side.

"Is that….?"

"A direwolf." Jon finished with a nod.

Daenerys made to say something but she stopped when Ghost went closer to the flames. They exchanged a look before the direwolf entered the flames and all but disappeared.

"Ghost!" Jon shouted. He turned to her, his eyes suddenly fierce. "What is this?" He demanded of her, daring to take hold of her shoulders.

"I don't know!" She cried without struggling.

He let her go, recognizing the look of truth in her perfect violet eyes. He turned to the flames and with a harsh swallow and a sudden awakening of bravery he strapped forward.

"We don't know what's in there." She said, nearly warned.

"But he did." He replied stepping through as well.

Daenerys took in a breath, glanced around before she went through as well. She met Jon, looked up at him with heightened confusion. It didn't feel as if anything had happened but when they looked around they saw that they were in a completely different world, one so unlike their own.


	2. Chapter 2

Everything was different. The heat beat down on them unmercifully and Jon could feel the sweat glisten beneath his fur cloak. The expanse of tall grass was rolling on and on, fences were high where others were torn down. The sky was clear, the clouds were gone, the sun was high and unrelenting. There was a building standing tall, its grim and ashy face looked threatening. Wildflowers grew up, weeds sprouted where dew fell from the morning.

"Summer." Daenerys whispered, her eyes widened with relief.

It was Summer here, no trace at all of Winter. Jon looked around, trying to understand what had happened. His eyes shot behind him looking for the flames they had just stepped through. It wasn't there. His brows furrowed and his hand flew to the hilt of his sword. Something wasn't right, how could this have happened?

"What is this place?" She asked of him, her soft and regal voice filled with wonder.

"I don't know." He replied in a questioning whisper.

Ghost came up beside him, familiar to his surroundings. Jon looked into his eyes, trying to find something. It peaked inside of him. He had seen this place before when his eyes were closed and he had seen the world through Ghost's eyes. He had laid back on the snow, tightly wrapped in his cloak, and had dreamed up this place. At least he had thought it was a dream. Perhaps it was. Perhaps he was still asleep now and dreaming of an escape. He looked at Daenerys, trying to understand her presence there. This had to be a dream, it couldn't be anything else. The Mother of Dragons? Summer?

"I wished for Summer." She said, stepping forward ever so bravely.

"Don't we all."

There was a hint of a smile on Daenerys' lips. Her bravery was near shocking. She was reveling in this single moment, the hot wind caressing across her skin. This didn't seem to be their world and yet she basked in it, she owned it.

The moment ended when a sound cracked behind them. Daenerys dropped her outstretched arms and looked in the direction that Jon had also turned in. Footsteps, slow and dragging. They looked to each other and each stepped back. It was coming from what seemed like the entrance to the woods, tall green trees, shaky bushes. Jon drew his sword and Daenerys pulled a dagger from the small sheath at her waist. He saw the way she held it. She had drawn it before. She carried the blade with ease, even skill.

It emerged quickly causing Jon to rush forward, his sword raised. Daenerys let out a gasp of shock and Jon slashed without seeing much of anything he was hitting. The blade drove through its neck, slashing downwards until it was severed. Its ghastly snarls were ended, as were the footsteps.

Jon looked down at his sword, the dripping blood and let out a disgusted breath. Daenerys came forward, still carrying her dagger, not trusting to sheath it again.

"What is it?" She questioned, her brows furrowed as they both looked down at the creature.

It laid there on the ground, its head severed from the body. As they watched the head became reanimated, his teeth chomping down and its snarls continuing. They both stepped back but when they saw that it could do nothing Daenerys knelt down and drove her dagger through its head. She stepped back, the blood slick on her hands when she pulled it back out.

Jon looked down at the creature and immediately the thought of the White Walkers came to mind. Those dead creatures that clung to death and refused to die. But this had died. This was dead, it had been dead. Even when it had come forward from the woods. He didn't want to think of the wall, of the stories Sam had educated him on. He didn't want to think of anything at all. He didn't even want to be Lord Commander anymore, he just wanted to be Jon. Jon, the bastard son of Eddard Stark of Winterfell. For the first time he wanted to own his name. Was it still even his name thought? Once he had sworn away everything else?

"Do you think there will be more?" She asked, after wiping the dagger on the cloak she wore.

"I would not doubt it. We should keep moving." Jon turned towards the direction of the ashy building, lowering his sword as he did. Daenerys followed behind him, her steps soft and planned it seemed. He glanced behind at her several times and instantly couldn't banish the thoughts of Arya. She would have loved to see this woman. She was always so enraptured by the strong women in stories, never the fair maidens and always those who had conquered. This wasn't just a strong woman, wasn't just a conqueror, this was the Mother of Dragons, the last Targaryen.

They walked towards the gates and stopped when they saw their worst fear. Those things were everywhere, they walked aimlessly across the field as if they had lost something and couldn't stop searching for it. Jon watched them, trying to map out a strategy but they had no purpose, they had no method. They simply wandered. What were they?

"Where will we go?" She asked, standing beside him. Her gloved hands held onto the metal links.

He looked down at her and wondered if she was afraid. Her exterior was so sharp and yet everyone held a bit of fear, didn't they?

"We climb the gate." He replied.

She looked up and shook her head. "It's too high."

He smiled a little. "I've climbed worse." He said, thinking of the scaling of the Wall, the night he had nearly frozen his hands.

Daenerys watched him sheath his sword and begin to climb, his exertion was evident. She sighed. She had done so many things to survive ever since she had been married off. Her hands were still sore, his body was still so tired. She had been hunted until she had slipped away beyond the Wall. Was she still supposed to fight?

Jon made it over , his face red and unrelenting. He reached his hand over and she managed to grip it. They both came over the otherside and managed, despite their weakness to drop down the otherside. They looked to each other with relief at their success, trying hard to catch their breath. They were surrounded by dead things, they had just scaled a gate. They had done everything in their lives, they had no room left to be phased.

"What the hell is this?" A deep voice demanded, humor and confusion in his voice. There was an accent there, one neither Jon or Daenerys had never heard. "Turn around. Slowly. Drop your weapons."

Jon thought twice. He wasn't sure what the right move would be but he wasn't even sure where he was. He didn't know who was hostile, he didn't know who were his enemies here. Could the Lannisters hand reach all the way through the flames?

He nodded to Daenerys and they both dropped their blades to the ground. Slowly they turned around and were met with the smiling face of a man. He had cropped hair and his eyes were gleaming with amusement and warnings. He had lost a hand it seemed and in its place was some sort of device, a blade attached to it. In his other hand he was holding some sort of machinery which he now raised towards them.

"You both are comin' with me." He ordered, he made a wide gesture towards the building and almost immediately someone approached him.

It was a woman this time. Her hair was short, brown and her eyes looked at them with a mixture of fear and worry. Daenerys noticed something in her, something that had both weakened and strengthened her. The girl was in love. Inside her heart panged at the thought. How long has it been, my sun and stars? An eternity.

"Who are they?" The woman asked, her voice accented as well but not as harshly as the mans. She looked them both over, her brows lifting with confusion. "What are they?"

"Some freaks it seems…Damn climbed the gates. You think Rick's gonna wanna see them?"

"Of course he will, Merle. Bring them inside." She seemed to dislike the man. What were they doing together? She turned to them. "Come with us." She ordered and led the way.

Jon noticed that she too was holding the same kind of black machinery as the man, whose name was apparently Merle. Their clothes were worn, blood streaked their skin. What had they endured? They looked worse off than himself and Daenerys.

They followed the man and woman. Jon feeling defenseless without the sword. He had every chance to run back and grab it but he didn't. Why not? He didn't know what he would encounter inside. He lost his chance though because the sound of the metal doors clanged open and they were rushed into what seemed like a dark cavern, damp and lifeless. Jon swallowed harshly and tried not to think the worse. How could he not when all he ever encountered was only the worse?


	3. Chapter 3

He watched her while she slept. Her pink clothes not at all tarnished by the dirt they were surrounded by. He nearly smiled at the thought of the way everyone fawned over her, how Beth always rushed to her first thing every morning, how Hershel always checked on her, and Carol, well she'd been a Godsend. He wanted to do it so badly too, wanted to take her small body in his arms and hope as much as everyone was. But he couldn't, simple as that. Every time he held her, every time he looked into her precious eyes he saw Lori. His Lori. He never had time. Where was the hope if everything eventually died?  
"They're coming back!" Carl called out, looking up at him from ground level. The brim of the Sheriff's hat shadowed his blue eyes and made him look harder than his face allowed.  
Rick turned away from Judith and hurried down the stairs, ripping himself out of his thoughts and forcing his way back into reality. He grabbed the ring of keys Carl tossed him and opened the cell block gates.  
"And they got people with 'em." Daryl muttered, his eyes catching Rick's with concern and alarm.  
Rick opened the second gate and allowed Maggie to enter as well as Merle. He looked at the two people who had followed before he glanced to Maggie for answers.  
"What is this?" He asked in a low voice. He was trying to remain calm. His head was aching from sleeplessness and his body was sore from the raid just a couple of days ago.  
"They climbed the gates...had swords." Merle replied, resting back against the wall, crossing his feet at the ankles.  
Rick saw how they looked at his own group with alarm and fear. The man was observing them, his dark hair a mess of curls and sweat. His eyes jumped from person to person, trying to figure something out. He wore heavy furs, gloves on his hands and high boots. The woman was a sight to behold. Her beauty, even in this time, was incomparable. But it was also strange. Her hair was silver, her eyes a violet so mesmerizing he nearly lost himself in them. She was holding back her fear, her face was holding itself without it, putting forth strength as her mask.  
"Who are you people?" Rick questioned, looking the man in the eyes. He could feel the tensity in the small area. The guns weren't doing any good and neither were these strangers.  
"I'm Jon..." He didn't know why he left out his bastard's name. He was afraid one of these people, if not all of them, were under the Lannisters. It was possible. The thought refused to sink in that this was simply not his world anymore.  
"And you?" Rick glanced to the woman, his voice just as harsh. He thought of Andrea, why hadn't she come back yet?  
"Dany." She replied, taking a queue from Jon it seemed.  
"Dany, Jon...how did you get it in?"  
"Just as he said, we climbed the gate."  
Rick glanced around the room, looking at the expression on his groups faces. They were stunned, unsure what to think of the two people in front of them.  
"And where'd you come from?"  
"Around." The girl named Dany answered. Her need for mystery alarming. Her very presence was commanding, it filled the prison nearly.  
"Well Jon and Dany from around it seems like we're outta room." Daryl got down from off the table, his hand reaching for his crossbow.  
"Daryl." Rick warned, his hand gesturing him off. Damn guy was like a wolf, ready to attack whenever those around him felt threatened. There were moments that was needed but it didn't seem like hostility was useful here.  
"Are you from Woodbury?" Glenn stepped forward despite the look Maggie gave him. The tension between them had lessened of late but it could still be felt so strongly.  
"Woodbury?" Jon questioned. He understood the situation. These people had been through all seven hells and had come out to tell a million different horror stories. He saw the pain etched on their faces, noticed and recognized the agony they were all feeling.  
"Yeah, we got a few bones to pick with them." Merle barked from behind them.  
Rick looked back at him and gritted his teeth tight. Merle being here was just as nauseating as these two unknown people and the impending threat. He knew that he could trust Daryl in keeping him under control but the threat was still there. He was supposed to go on a run today, take Michonne and Carl with him, something was always in the way of something.  
"Are any of you wounded?" Rick asked, looking them over and finding nothing visible.  
"Nothing." Jon replied.  
"You got a camp?" Hershel asked, his voice softer than everyone else's.  
Rick looked at the older man and nearly bit the inside of his cheek. There was that hope again. That light that these people kept shining into his own thick darkness. He could hear their calls, see their need for him to step up but there was too much pulling him back.  
"Everything we had...it's gone." Dany's voice had saddened, her eyes darkened. Her fear, her pain it was coming forward.  
"Rick? Can I talk to you?" Hershel asked, pushing himself back towards their cell block.  
Rick glanced at the two people before he reluctantly followed Hershel. "What is it?"  
"This isn't Merle, not even Michonne."  
"You can't expect me to take them in too..."  
"You already sent Tyreese and his group away, I understand that. But these two, Rick. They're children, like Beth. Are we supposed to send them off on their own without protection?"  
"They seem well protected already."  
"I said it before and I'm saying it again...you have to start trusting people."  
"That'll just get us all killed." He answered and returned to where everyone else was.  
No one seemed to have moved. Jon stood, his eyes continuously glancing over at Daryl as if he were trying to understand something. Dany was staring ahead of her, at nothing before she looked Rick directly in the eyes, fearlessly.  
Rick rested his hand on his hip, looking away from the young girls' violet eyes. As young as Beth. He tried to imagine this girl out there on her own, trying to fight off the walkers that were everywhere. He closed his eyes on the thought, unable to deal with the guilt that built up with it. He already felt the burden of having sent Tyreese away, could he really deal with this as well if he were to send them off?  
"Do you need me to gather some supplies for them?" Carol asked of Rick.  
Rick's jaw tightened, his eyes were deep in thought. On one hand he was hearing what Hershel had told him and on the other hand he was struggling with his own opposition to having these two people with them. He didn't need another problem, or worse yet, another death. What he needed was some time of clearheadedness so he could get his feet back on the ground. So he could map out a way to get rid of the Governer's plan.  
"They'll stay here until I get back. Carl, Michonne, come on." Rick ordered, his hand touching to the pistol at his hip.  
"And our weapons?" Jon demanded, stepping forward. He was tired of keeping quiet, tired of this man thinking he had rule over him and Daenerys.  
"Someone will get them." Rick replied, looking to Daryl which brought the man over to him.  
Rick made his way out of the prison, the loud opening of the doors painful to his already aching head. Daryl was following behind him and he could hear Carl coming as well. Rick looked about the yard, trying to see where the weapons were. He saw the sun glinting off something metal near one end of the gate and together he and Daryl walked towards it.  
"What the hell?" Daryl questioned, looking down at the sword and the dagger that as laying there. "Merle was right."  
"Who the hell are these people?" Rick demanded aloud, kneeling down to pick up the sword. It was heavy and his sore body couldn't quite stand the weight not after carrying that heavy gun just the other day.  
"Seem medieval." Daryl replied, gripping the dagger.  
Rick glanced up at him before he stood up. "You feel comfortable with them here?"  
"If you do."  
Rick nodded, trying to get his head in the right direction. They were both kids and that girl looked absolutely helpless despite how commanding her presence was. Could he really send them off?  
"Just keep your eyes on them both, don't need another disaster on our hands."  
"Will do." Daryl nodded, taking the sword from Rick. "Take care of yourself..." He said, earning a nod from Rick before he went on back into the prison.  
Rick watched both Carl and Michonne get into one of the cars after loading some supplies into the back. He sighed before looking up at the wide expanse of sky above them. Would he pray? Hell, it seemed like the only thing he had left to do.


	4. Chapter 4

It looked like some sort of prison that they found themselves in. Dany didn't like the feeling of being caged in, of being locked away like she always was. She sucked in her breath not wanting to think of her dragons. She had locked them away, she had put them to war, she had killed them. She could feel the memories rise up again of when her entire khalasar and Unsullied were massacred by the hands of the Lannisters. She didn't want to think of any of it, didn't want to live with her thoughts back in Westeros. She was in a whole other world. She entered through the flames, this was a rebirth.

Dany looked across at Jon and wondered who he was. Her silver brows furrowed and her eyes studied him. He was handsome, so young, and seemed so confused at everything that was happening.

"How can you act so calm?" He spoke suddenly, a sense of frustration sparking in his features.

"What else can we do? We're here and we...are we not guests?" She was trying to be calm. She was trying to remain at ease with the entire situation. She couldn't fight the nervousness that was rising up inside of her. All of this didn't feel right, no matter how strong she needed to be, it just didn't feel right.

Jon shook his head and looked away. He reached his hand down to his sheath and let out a heavy breath when he found nothing there. He seemed to feel empty with no sword at his side.

She wanted to say something but what was there to say? They were in a different world, perhaps even a different dimension.

A small sound at the gate turned their eyes towards it. The man who was called Daryl was standing there, his crossbow withdrawn and resting on his back. His hair was mussed, sweat and dirt marked his skin. He looked as bad as the other people who were holed up  
within these cold walls.

"It's hell out there, ain't it?" His voice was deep, his drawl heavy.

"Seems to be." Dany replied, she could feel Jon tense up. "But we've only just come now."

"What do you mean? You two been in some kind of coma?" He questioned, his brows knitting together.

She looked at him almost insulted at his demanding. "I mean exactly that...we've only just come. I have no idea what is happening out there. What are those things?"

"Walkers. Flesh eating walkers. Wish they would all disappear." There was a flash of hatred in his blue eyes that sharpened the tone of his voice.

"How long do we have to be in here? Locked up as if we're some kind of threat?" Jon rose to his feet, creating a heavy tension within the cell they were in.

"Until Rick decides otherwise." He replied, without room for argument. It seemed the man who had left was in charge.

"And our weapons?"

"Same thing."

Jon looked away, disappointed, irritated and frustrated. Dany could sense it. She felt the same amount of frustration inside but she refused to make this anymore of a hostile situation.

"Haven't I seen you somewhere?" Daryl asked of Jon.

Jon returned Daryl's gaze, surprise there in the dark color. Had he also been thinking the same thing? "I don't think so."  
Daryl made a noise of response before he turned on his heel and made to leave but suddenly he wavered. It caused a commotion and both Dany and Jon rushed to see what had happened. Daryl was holding the side of his head and was resting against the wall. He shrugged everyone off and just stood up and continued on his way. But just before he walked off he looked back at Jon. There was something in his eyes, something confused and unsure.

"What was that?" Dany asked, looking to Jon with furrowed brows.

Jon shook his head slowly before he moved away from the gates. "I don't know." He replied, sitting down again. He leaned forward with his elbows on his knees and pushed his fingers through his hair.

Dany sat across the room. She didn't want to close her eyes, she didn't want to think. She just wanted this all to be figured out. She didn't want to spend too much time locked away this way. She had been locked away like this almost her entire life.

It seemed like an entire day had passed until commotion had risen up in the prison again. Dany and Jon both perked up finally. Someone mentioned that Rick had come back and Dany finally breathed out a sigh of relief. Perhaps now this meant freedom.

The gates opened and Rick came striding in followed by his son and Michonne. Dany tried to remember everyone's names but it all came out wrong in her head. There was a flurry of thoughts racing through her mind and she was hoping that this day would just end already. She was scared, scared of being left alone like this. Even by these people.  
"He's on his way." Rick said firmly. His jaw was tense and it seemed like he was warning everyone that was there. "And he's got people with him."

"What are we supposed to do? Fight him? There's nine of us, ten if you count that baby and there's way more of them. All we have are women and arrogant boys. Unless you count these two here." Merle's voice dripped with sarcasm and Dany could see the way Rick tensed with irritation at the sound of it.

"What is happening?" Dany spoke, unsure if it was her place but seeing the distress in theses people's eyes was unnerving. They looked afraid.

"Woodbury." The old man said, his voice calmer than the others which just made it more unnerving.

"What is Woodbury?" Jon demanded, he was tired of all of this. They didn't belong here and they couldn't be expected to stay either.

"Somewhere you better not be from." Daryl said, sideways glaring at him.

"We just need to make sure everything is guarded, barricaded off." The man who spoke then was young, his eyes slanted and his hair dark.

"Glenn, that's what we did last time, didn't take him long to bring it all down."

Dany wasn't sure if she was going to regret it or not. She wasn't sure if they would even accept it but she felt like it had to be done. "We can help." She said, causing their eyes to turn to her with surprise.

"What?" Jon asked. He was both nervous about the thought and afraid. He had agreed to help others before and he had failed. Was he supposed to fail this small group of people as well?

"We will help you...This is some sort of battle, is it not?"

"Honey, we don't have time for medieval times and fair maidens." Merle said, a snicker on his tongue.

"Let her talk." Rick ordered, waving his hand towards him before he returned his gaze to Dany.

"We help and you let us go...that's the deal." She stated, bravely but without falter. She was still a queen was she not?

"Do either of you know how to use a gun?" The old man asked, there was a great deal of concern in his voice when he spoke.

"A...gun?" Dany's brows furrowed together with confusion.

"Yeah. A gun." Glenn replied. He seemed to not want to got through this as if they had better things to plan.

"I don't know what that is."

Merle laughed and everyone's jaws seemed to drop to the floor.

"We don't have time for this." Rick stated with a shake of his head. He looked almost ready to explode with the severe stress he seemed to be under.

"Please...let us do something." Dany pleaded. She just wanted to get away from this place.  
Her eyes softened when Rick's gaze rose to meet them. She could see the darkness  
dwelling there. He had lost everything, she read that there in the darkening blue of them. So had she. She wanted to say it, wanted to relate. But neither of them had time for that.

"Alright...Beth you stay inside, Carl you stay with her and Judith." The boy looked about ready to protest but Rick moved on giving him no time to. "Everyone else you come with me. Even you two." He gestured everyone out with him and they quickly followed.

"Let's hope this is a good idea." She said up to Jon who fell in alongside her.

"Nothing is ever a good idea." He reminded both her and himself.

She nodded because she knew exactly what she meant. She had done nothing but failed her entire life, no matter how much she wanted to overcome. There had to be a time for something to go right.

The sun blazed down on them once they stepped outside and Dany lifted her hand to shield her eyes from it. She watched how everyone scattered about, their worry  
emanating from their panicked behavior as well as the fear their faces. She felt something rip apart inside of her. She remembered the feeling of nearing downfall, the panic of inevitable failure. Did everyone suffer from such?

"You, take your sword and go with Michonne into the yard, from there you'll take out the walkers there. Everyone else stays behind the gates." Rick's words left nothing to be argued with and he put up no argument himself when Jon went to retrieve his sword and handed Dany her dagger.

"You ever use one of these?" Daryl asked Dany, setting before him a crossbow similar to the one he held at his back.

She shook her head. "It shouldn't be so hard." When she took it from him she hated the way her hands shook. His eyes caught hers and she tried to fight the nervousness.

"You can wait inside." He said softly, noting her fear that had suddenly come forward.  
Again she shook her head. "I'm fine." What was she without her khalasar? Without her dragons?

He gave her a nod of understanding before he went off to prepare himself leaving the crossbow with her.

Before anyone had time to set themselves the attack began. Guns were fired and rained down on the already bloodied dirt. Shouts were heard, directions and orders to go for cover. Daryl, Rick, Merle and Glenn stayed at the gates, not covered by much but obviously full of faith they would make it out. Michonne and Jon rushed through the courtyard, their swords lowered at their sides. The gunfire had attracted a mass amount of walkers, blood dripping from their lips and starvation looking to be at an end. Michonne raised her katana, the blade slashing through a chest, a head before it finally tumbled off. Jon lifted his sword, muttering a prayer to himself before he plunged it deep into the head of a walker. The blood spewed out, staining Jon's face and hands. The sun caked it on him and made the stench of the dead things even worse.

Dany rushed to the gates where the men were. She had to get over her fear. Just because she had been defeated once, just because she was alone didn't mean she couldn't rise again from the ashes. She was fireborn, brought forth from flames.

Rick glanced down at her with a protest gleaming in his blue eyes but Dany looked away and lifted the crossbow. It was heavy and her small arms would feel the weight of it later but she didn't care. She had to press on.

Merle opened the gates and Rick was the first to rush out followed by everyone else. They saw it. There were several cars parked on the dirt road that led to the prison. A small army of men stood there, their guns blazing. The gunfire sang back and forth, screams curdled and blood was shed. Dany could smell the stench of death, of rotting flesh.

A walker passed her, reaching its arms forward and grabbing ahold of her. It pushed her backwards, the crossbow falling from her hands as she fell on her back. She struggled against it, its mouth ready to take a bite of her skin. The snarls were loud in her ears and its grip was painful. She could feel tears fall from her eyes as she felt herself weakening beneath its dead determination.

The walker fell then, its face falling hard near her neck. She let out another cry until she opened her eyes and Rick was looking down at her. He offered her his hand after he had pushed the walker off of her. She stood up with relief and looked down at the end of the gun that Rick had used to crush in the skull of the walker. Blood dripped from it. She let out a breath and took up the crossbow again. Rick nodded to her and they parted ways.  
Her final arrow shot a walker in the back and she finished it off by pulled her dagger out and driving it through his head. The blood stained her pale skin and she pulled it out with a groan.

A scream was heard from the cars of their attackers. And soon enough the cars drove away. The scream continued though, one of agony and pain. Everyone looked towards it, approaching the sounds slowly.

"Probably just a walker." Daryl stated, lifting his crossbow just in case.

Dany glanced at Rick who continued to walk and looked back at Merle, Glenn, Jon and Michonne who had followed them as well.

"Ghost!" Jon suddenly called out, stepping forward before anyone else could. "To me."  
Dany gasped when her eyes fell on the body of a dying man, his screams weakening and his eyes slowly dying. The direwolf looked up at the call of Jon's voice and slowly moved towards him. Blood dripped from its teeth and left behind the body it had torn apart.


	5. Chapter 5

"What the hell was that?" Daryl demanded, his eyes wide as he stared down at the mauled corpse lying on the dirt road.

Jon backed up and Ghost followed alongside him. Rick looked over at him, his brows tensing as he tried to understand what he had just seen. Dany had her hand over her mouth, her eyes drinking in the grotesque sight.

"A wolf?" Rick questioned, his head tilting slightly.

"Not a wolf, a direwolf." Jon replied, his hand reaching out and touching to the top of Ghost's head.

"What the hell is a direwolf?" Merle wasn't smiling anymore. His eyes were filled with shock as he looked over Ghost, following the blood that dripped from its mouth.

"The sigil of my house. House Stark."

Rick just stared at him, trying to figure it all out. He shook his head and looked away for a moment. "We can't have an animal here. We can't have a wolf, or a direwolf." He met Jon's eyes again, trying his best to reason with him.

"Well we aren't staying anyways."

"You're going to risk it out there?" Daryl asked, looking over at Dany. She was too helpless to be out there on here own. He had seen how she had fallen beneath that walkers attack. He had panicked a little and had only been able to breathe with relief when Rick had gone to help her.

"We can't stay here. We're going home. And you promised us out release." Jon stepped forward, no longer caring what these people thought of Ghost, not caring what they thought of him.

"Jon, think about this." Dany suddenly said bringing his eyes to her with surprise. "We don't even know if we can go home."

"You can't possibly think we can stay here. With those walkers out there, with these people." Jon had fully turned to face her, his brows knitting.

Dany thought of home. But it wasn't her home anymore, was it? They didn't want her there. She had been defeated and no matter how many people secretly raised dragon banners she could never go back after the lost war. Not after her dragons had been brought down. But this place, these people, they were alone, and they needed help. She could provide that. She had saved people from tyranny, slavery, oppression. She could do it again, couldn't she?

It made her nervous though to think about it. If only she had a bit of counsel with this. Her bear. Where was he? She hadn't seen her face since he had gone. Jorah, she could use his advice now.

"You both helped us today...that's enough to stay on awhile. I can't possibly send either of you out there like this after what you've done." Rick spoke after a moment of silence. He was trying his best to ignore the body behind him, trying to ignore the wolf that stayed at Jon's side.

"Couldn't they stay until they figure out what they wanna do?" Daryl asked, looking up at Rick, the sun full on his face.

"Yeah, yeah, of course. How's that sound?" Rick looked between Jon and Dany. As young as Beth. But these two weren't children. Jon had fought like some sort of warrior and Dany had shown the kind of resilience that some children lacked.

"And Ghost?" Jon looked him directly in the eye. He didn't really like to be in this position but he knew that there wasn't any other way to go about this until a plan was brought up.

Rick sighed, pressing two fingers to the bridge of his nose. He looked across at Jon, a warning alive in his eyes. "If he makes any noise, we're putting him down."

"He only does if there's a threat."

"Well there's a lot of that going around these days, don't need it attracting anymore." Daryl stated. He let his eyes lower to the wolf, he studied him.

Ghost was just staring at Daryl, its eyes sharp as it studied him. Jon glanced down at him, his own brows knitting together. Ghost wasn't looking at Daryl like he was a threat but he was looking at him with a sort of familiarity.

"Well let's get back inside, see how everything is in there." Rick said, gesturing back to the prison.

They followed after him.

"What about this bastard?" Merle asked, pointing back to the body.

"Leave him for the walkers." Rick said before he continued walking towards the prison.

They slipped back in through the gate and secured it back in place. Rick met Carl with a hug before he moved up the stairs where Beth was. Dany's eyes followed him and then her heart broke when she heard a tiny and sweet cry. Her soul leapt at the sound and she followed after it. She ignored Jon calling her name, no doubt wanting to discuss a plan and how they were going to go back home. She climbed the stairs and stopped in her tracks when she saw Rick standing there, a baby cradled in his arms.

"You have a child?" She asked, her violet eyes resting on the girl in his embrace.

He glanced up at her, shocked by her presence there and he nodded. "Judith." He spoke her name in a thick voice. When he had gone out there today, the thought of his baby, of Carl had propelled him onward. But it had also scared him. If he had died out there what would happen to them? They would have the group, he had reminded himself. Hadn't they done more for Judith than he had? He hadn't even been with her that much and that ached sharply in his heart. How long was it going to hurt to look down into those eyes that were so identical to Lori's that he could have sworn she was there before him again.

"She's beautiful..." Dany whispered, unable to stop the tears that glazed her eyes. Her hand touched down to her belly and she harshly swallowed the heavy breath struggling to be released. Never to have children again, never to hold her baby boy again. And she had lost the only children she had ever had. She was alone.

Rick lifted his eyes from the baby in his eyes. He noticed the pain etched into her soft features. She was hurting, her eyes solely focused on Judith.

"Do you have a child?" He asked, his voice and the softness of it foreign to him.

She shook her head, looking away finally and taking a deep breath. "No. No I don't."

Rick looked at Judith and then again at Dany. She had a child, he could see the loss in her eyes. Another ache grew in his heart. Everyone had suffered so much and for what? For the dead to walk the earth. What a punishment they were receiving.

"Would you like to hold her?" He asked, approaching her and offering her arms the baby.

She looked up at him with uncertainty. If she held this baby now how was she ever going to let go? How was she ever going to stop the tears that were threatening to fall?

"I would." She said, defying the strength that yearned to be held in tact.

She held out her arms and took Judith from Rick. The baby made small noises before settling against her breast. She smiled down at her beautiful face, unable to stop the tears from pearling on her lashes.

"She likes you." Rick said in a breath of a voice. The image hurt him too. This girl was a mother, she had a child somewhere, dead or alive. He thought of the day Carl had been born, how attached he had been to Lori those first few months. He thought of how Judith would never experience that. She would never have Lori.

Jon turned away from watching Dany holding the baby this group had. He was confused, how were they able to keep something so small protected from those things that plagued the earth? The thought of a child so innocent living in a world of so much death was overwhelming. How did they keep her alive? How did they deal with the fear that she would not have a chance to survive?

He glanced down and noticed that Ghost wasn't near him. "Ghost?" He called, but could not find him from where he stood.

He entered through the gate that led to the other cellblock and saw the boy Carl and Daryl kneeling down next to Ghost. Carl seemed to be hesitant to touch him but Daryl's hands were firmly resting on Ghost's coat.

"Don't be scared, haven't you ever had a pet before?" Daryl asked, looking over the beautiful animal. It was massive but so unlike anything he had ever seen.

"I had a turtle once." Carl said, looking up at Daryl with a suppressed smile.

Daryl laughed a little and lightly tapped at the top of the boys hat. "Don't count."

Jon watched as Ghost moved closer to Daryl, taking in his scent and calming beneath his touch. His brows furrowed, saw how Ghost's eyes were so at rest as it became too familiar with Daryl. Jon didn't understand it, wasn't quite sure what he was looking at. He hadn't seen something like this before unless he had been in Winterfell, watching the Starks with the wolves, in their natural habitat. But what was this?


	6. Chapter 6

The smell of food reminded Jon just how hungry he was. Beth had gone to the other cellblock making the food as silent as the rest of the prison was. Jon sat there, his direwolf resting at his feet. No one wanted to go near him, he knew they were scared of Ghost, he knew that they weren't too sure what to make of it. The only one who had gotten close to Ghost without much fear was Daryl and that still confused Jon.

"The food is ready." Carol called out to him, looking at him with skeptical eyes.

Jon rose from where he was sitting and set his fur cloak in his place. "Stay." He ordered down to Ghost before making his way to the other cellblock.

Everyone was in there, silently hovering over their bowls of food. Dany was sitting by herself, her fingers shaky as she lifted the spoon to her lips. She was hungry, he wasn't sure when he had last eaten much less her. Rick was standing next to Daryl, lazily lifting their spoons to eat. Carl was sitting next to Beth, the brim of his hat shading his eyes. The baby from earlier wasn't here, she was probably asleep.

He studied over these people, trying to figure out if they were trustworthy or not. It was such a small group and seemingly harmless. The only ones who looked ready to fight were the group's leader Rick, Daryl, Glenn and Maggie. He knew that if he had been with some of his brother's from the Watch that they would tell him to take over the prison, make this place his own and protect himself from the nightmare outside. His conscience however wouldn't give into that idea because he couldn't dream of doing something so cruel especially not after seeing the baby they had.

He couldn't remove the image from his mind. The one that baby had conjured up. It had been a usual day in Winterfell except for Catelyn's constant screams. He had been somewhat afraid but hadn't voiced it at all, neither had Robb. Sansa had been crying, her handkerchief dabbing at her eyes. Finally the hour had come and little Rickon had been paraded through the family like a miracle. His father had been so proud, holding the sleeping boy in his arms and Jon couldn't help but feel the same. Another little brother to add to Bran. He was glad for it.

He sighed and continued to eat. He wasn't supposed to think that far back. It hurt too much to remember his times there, despite the bitterness of how Catelyn had treated him, those were the days he treasured. The sole memories he didn't want to taint by the violence he had stepped into. Even Ygritte had been tainted by it.

"Where is it you two come from?" Rick asked, after setting his bowl down and giving Beth an appreciative smile.

Dany looked up first. She looked so tired. The exhaustion finally taking its toll on her now that the day had died down.

"Westeros." She said, turning to look at Jon.'

"Where is that?" Carol asked, folding her arms across her chest. Yes, this one didn't trust them. Jon could see that.

"Far away." She whispered, looking down with a touch of sadness.

"Where are we now?" Jon questioned, grabbing Rick's eyes.

"Georgia. I can't even remember where exactly." He shook his head as if that thought disappointed him.  
"Georgia?" Dany was confused, her brows knitting together.

Rick didn't know what to say. Their voices were entirely different from his own, their accents something he couldn't pinpoint.

"Why don't you tell us how you got here."

Jon swallowed harshly and noticed Dany's nervousness as well. Neither of them were sure what they were supposed to say, what the right thing was. Rick was looking at them both expectantly, he was waiting for answers.

"We were walking. I found him just as stranded as I was. I found something in a cave and for the first time in a long time, I wasn't even sure why." She sighed, those flames she had seen had reminded her so much of her own dragons, the last breath of fire they had released before they had fallen. She had demanded too much.

"What was it?" Carl asked, eyeing her curiously.

"Flames, dancing flames that looked like they wouldn't go out. Ghost, his direwolf, entered them first fearlessly and then we both went through. That was when everything changed."

"It was Winter where we were. It's always Winter now. The long Winter." Jon muttered. He could still feel the ice clinging to his skin now, despite the harsh heat that surrounded them.

"You walked through flames?" Daryl questioned, his brows tensing skeptically.

"It wasn't the first time." Dany lifted her eyes to his, seriousness filling her gaze.

"Westeros. Targaryen, Stormborn, House Stark, direwolves...what are these things?"

Dany couldn't help but show a small smile on the corners of her lips. These people were looking  
to her for answers just like they had before.

"I am Daenerys Stormborn, born to the house of Targaryen, the last heir. I had gone to Westeros to claim the throne that had been ripped away from those usurpers. I am the mother of dragons."

No one spoke and Jon sucked in a breath. He had seen the state of this world, the harsh realities of it. The dead were walking. They were eating the flesh of people. Dany's story would be overwhelming to whoever didn't really know. Jon wasn't sure now what he should make his own story but how was his as overwhelming and outlandish as hers?

"Dragons?"

"I'd like to see that." Daryl said, his voice touching with belief but solely set in disbelief.

"Seems like we've gout ourselves a couple of crazies to deal with." Merle said, his smile and tone sarcastic.

"Not more crazy than dead people walking." Carl spoke up, looking at Dany with a bit of /wonder in his eyes.

"I second that." Michonne spoke from the corner she inhabited. She was unsure herself but something about the two standing there made her think of herself. Two new people, separated by an entire world. How much she could relate to that.

"And you?" Rick asked, directing his eyes at Jon.

Jon looked to Dany, seeing her nod before he looked back to Rick's awaiting eyes. "My name is Jon Snow, bastard son to Lord Eddard Stark of the North. I have sworn an oath to the Night's Watch, watching the Wall to keep everything out of Westeros. But after the Lannisters won the war I lost my place, I lost everything."

"Lords, dragons, oaths and wars, seems like we've let King Arthur step into this prison." Merle mocked, his smile widening as he chewed up his food.

Rick turned and glared at him before looking back to Jon. "Do you really expect us to believe you?"

"How can we expect that when you all have been through so much?" Dany questioned, her voice soft but also pleading. There was a small part of her that wanted to get out of here but the one feeling she was holding in was the need to just be surrounded by people again. Everyone was gone, everything was lost.

Rick nodded, his hands on his hips as he looked down. He was contemplating, trying to decide what to do. "How long are you planning on staying?" He finally lifted his eyes again, looking between Dany and Jon.

"As long as you want us to. It's in your hands." Dany was trying to make a compromise, a smart one at that. She was a natural leader herself but she knew when she had crossed into someone elses domain and Rick was a good man, she could sense that.

Rick held her eyes. Those violet eyes that were almost as unsettling as they were beautiful. She was just a child, a girl and even Jon was a boy. He sucked in a breath, looking to Carl who he was surprised to find looking back at him. It was a look that told him he wanted them to stay. But this was the same boy who had given him the advice to step away from leading this group.  
"You two can sleep in here...and if either of you take anything, threaten our safety here, I will kill you both." He seethed out, trying to push forth enough warning in his eyes.

They nodded to his order, te sharp gesture of his hand strengthening it.

"Thank you." Dany whispered, reaching her hand out and lightly touching his arm.

He looked down at it before he nodded to her and walked away.

Everyone went back to what they were doing and they were trying hard not to stare too much at them. Dany left the block and Jon eyed her curiously as she went the way Rick had gone Merle slipped out with a shake of his head and Carol moved close to Daryl. Jon watched them and wondered if they knew he could hear them even in their low voices.

"Do you really this is the right call? Is Rick making the right choice here?" Carol asked, glancing every now and then at Jon.

Daryl shrugged and put the last spoonful of food into his mouth. "You gotta learn to trust Rick more, he's gotten us this far. He's a good man, y'know that."

"Sure he is but sometimes the things he decides on..."

"You really want them out there on their own? With God knows how many walkers and the Governor at our door? They could be killed, easy as that." His voice had harshened just a little as he tried to instill a bit of reason into her.

"It just doesn't feel right." She stated.

Daryl handed his bowl to Beth who was waiting for it and he looked down at Carol with disbelief. "Guess we're gonna find out." He said with finality before walking past Jon.  
"Thank you." Jon called out turning Daryls gaze to his.  
"No problem."  
Before Daryl could walk away again there was a loud scream from deeper parts of the prison, it had echoed all the way back here. The scream got louder and so did the snarls and growls of the walkers.

"What the hell?" Daryl questioned, taking the crossbow from his back.

Rick came rushing back in, drawing his revolver as he did. "What was that?" He demanded of Daryl but when he didn't get an answer he looked towards the sounds. "Somebody's inside."


	7. Chapter 7

They all panicked unsure exactly what to do. Dany came rushing out behind Rick, her eyes wide as the scream came again.

"Walkers." Daryl muttered moving towards the gates that led to the outer cell, his crossbow raised.

"Wait, we don't know what's out there." Rick called out to Daryl.

"They're at our damned door." Daryl said back at him and peered through the bars. He could see the shadows coming closer and the sounds drawing nearer. "They're almost here!"

"Everyone get back into the cellblocks. Glenn, Jon, Daryl you stay with me." Rick ordered, gesturing everyone into the block with the cells.

Everyone rushed inside, Dany being the last to go. She slammed the gate shut as Carl locked it up. She looked at the three men in there, heard the snarls coming down and the fearful screams and she just couldn't look.

Rick nodded at Daryl before he approached the gate and unlocked it. He moved backwards after pulling it open and gestured for everyone to lift their knives. He turned in Jon's direction when he heard the blade of his sword being pulled from its sheath. It still felt odd to sit here and watch this unfold. These two strangers coming into their world with outrageous stories. But how could they be called outrageous when they were living in a world that was hard to believe in itself?

He turned to look in the direction of the open gate, lifting his gun and cocking it back. The sounds came closer. Rick didn't pay attention to the figure that darted in, his eyes stayed on the walkers that dragged themselves into the block.

Rick went first, remembering not to break formation. He plunged the blade of his knife into the top of a walkers head, the blood coming out just as the snarling stopped. He moved back and Glenn went forward, his knife dragging up into the walkers neck before he pulled it out and let it drop to the ground. Daryl fired an arrow, the whistle of its travel whipping past Rick. Then Jon came forward, his sword bearing down into one of the walkers head and then slashed across another's chest. It continued that way, the bodies dropping to the ground one by one. Soon enough the block was quiet save for the heavy heaving of exhaustion. A whimper of pain stole Rick's attention and immediately remembered the figure who had darted in. They all looked down to the source of the sound and Rick let out an almost angry sound. Another one? How many survivors was he gonna let in here?

The girl was laying nearly broken on the cold ground. Her red hair was a mess and her eyes were fearful. One of her hands was clutching at her shoulder, blood leaking from between her fingers. She was crying as she lifted her gaze to Rick and then let them sweep over the other three men.

"Who's this?' Daryl asked, gesturing down to the girl on the ground, his brows furrowing with confusion.

Rick walked closer, kneeling down in front of her and looking down closer to her face. "What's your name?" He questioned, trying to get a better look at the wound she was holding.

Slowly she rose, a quivering mess and looked up into his eyes. "Vera." She answered before hissing out in pain.

"That wound you got there, what is it?" Daryl asked, worry burdening his voice.

She looked down at her shoulder and pulled away her hand. "My daddy...he thought I was one of them." She whispered, her voice broken and exhausted.

"He stabbed you?" Jon moved forward, looking down at her. There was something about her that drew him in. It was the red of her hair. Kissed by fire. What he would have given if this had been Ygritte. But it wasn't and that sunk inside of him painfully. Choices, all his choices had always failed.

The girl nodded and suddenly look ashamed. Guilt was building up in her tired eyes as she looked away. "So I killed him."

Nothing else was said, quiet descended over the group. Rick wasn't quite sure what to think. He could see how broken the girl was, how seemingly lost she appeared to be. How the hell did she end up in the prison? He noticed the pain etched on Jon's face. He was usually so solemn, so withdrawn into himself but now there was actual sorrow there. He almost asked him what it was but he checked himself. What was it that Hershel had said before? That they couldn't get too attached to people that would be gone soon anyways?

"What will you do with her?" Dany asked as the cellblock gate opened and she stepped out.  
"I don't know." Rick replied, watching Dany's face soften as she came closer to the new arrival. She was obviously younger than Vera but there was a way about her that said she had lived through things most people would never experience.

"Please tell me you won't send her away..." Her voice was so soft and pleading. Her heart broke for this girl, this stranded and broken girl.

"Have to fix her up first." Hershel said, coming up behind Dany.

Rick looked back at them before he stood up and walked over to the open gate that led out to the outer parts of the prison. "How much supplies do we have?" He asked, gripping the bars and resting his forehead against the cold steel.

Daryl moved across the room and set his hand on his friends shoulder. "We have enough Rick, alright? She's not gonna take much, small girl she is." He glanced back at the girl.

He looked up at Daryl and nodded, letting go of the bars as he did. "We can't keep taking people in."

"What was it that Hershel told you? Best to trust people?"

"Don't. You know as well as me what danger that can bring."

"She's just a girl." Jon spoke up, kneeling down to Vera. He looked into her eyes, trying to find that fire that Ygritte had, that freedom that she displayed so beautifully. All he found was a broken girl. She had the red hair but she had none of the fire she was supposed to be kissed by.  
"And you're a bastard to a lord and this here is a mother of dragons. Rick's right. We got no time for any of this. Not with the Governor pulling at our walls." Merle came forward, one of his hands resting on the buckle of his belt.

"You don't have anything to say." Glenn stated, throwing a sharp glare at him.

"That's enough, all of you. This isn't going to get out of hand. We're going to settle this and then we'll move on." He moved away from the gate and stopped in front of Hershel. "Y'alright taking care of this?"

The old man nodded. "I have Carol. She'll be fine."

Rick nodded and left into the cellblock. He ignored the looks everyone gave him, he didn't want to see them nearly judging him because he didn't want to keep the girl here. None of these people knew who she was, if her story was true and if something went wrong he would carry the blame.

"Please..." It was the girl's voice, Dany at her side.

Rick looked back at them and let his brows tense. He couldn't believe that they were going to work at the strings of his strength and force him into this decision. Simply because she was a girl, defenseless, helpless. Shouldn't those be the reasons why he would let her stay? But he was scared. Everyone he let in had been a mistake. Death came with every decision he had thought was right.

"You'll be on your way once you're patched up and we've got some food prepared for you." He replied before turning on them and went up the stairs.

He found Judith asleep in the playpen Carl and Michonne had gotten for her. He nearly smiled when he thought of how she had more than likely slept through all the walkers. He reached his hand out, stroking the side of her face with his fingers.

"She won't survive out there." Dany said, having climbed the stairs and stood before him almost all too defiantly.

"That's not our problem." He defended, looking away from the playpen and turning to Dany. He was trying to keep his voice down, not wanting Judith to stir.

"She stumbled in here, she is your problem."

He looked at her, taken aback by the bold way she spoke. "I don't know you. I don't think there's room for discussion."

She came closer to him, keeping her eyes on his as she did. Hesitantly she lifted her hand and set it on his cheek. He froze, staring down into those violet eyes and trying to understand what she was doing.  
"You're broken Rick, we all see that. But don't turn her away, please?" How soft and almost comforting her voice was.

He backed away from her causing her hand to drop. His confusion was clearly visible on his face. "The decision is final." He said before walking past her and back down the stairs.  
Everything was a burden to him now and he wasn't even sure if he was thinking straight or not. He wouldn't be surprised if something else were to happen now. The Governor tearing down the walls, walkers invading the prison. No one had a break and nothing ever stopped breaking.


	8. Chapter 8

**Thank you to everyone who is reading this story! Appreciate it so much! And those asking if other characters will be added to the fic...not as of now, I have this whole story mapped out already. But don't fret! I have other stories planned with TWD/GOT and I've got plenty of characters who will make appearances. *cough* Tyrion *cough* Well then, new chapter, enjoy!**

* * *

They could all hear Vera's crying as Hershel stitched her up. Rick was hovering near the cell gate, watching with all too serious eyes and a warning on his face. Jon was tense. He wasn't even sure why he felt so upset about them sending the girl away. He understood the threat. These people were hanging by a thread, what more could they lose? They had to protect their own. So why did he feel this way? She was just a girl, she wasn't Ygritte.

There was something about her though. He could feel it whenever he looked at her. His heart nearly split in two whenever he heard those soft cries. She was so broken and a part of him just wanted to put her together again, somehow. His hand rested on Long Claw's hilt and watched Rick's back.

This man was a good man, he could sense it. He had everything that a leader needed. He had suffered, that could be seen all over his face. His was a soul that was yearning for a release from this world where the dead roamed the earth.

The thought came to his mind. Were these the White Walkers? Were these some form of them that had crossed over? Or had this place been where they were hiding all along? Only now going forward into Westeros and taking with them all the death and decay of this realm? Who would protect the Seven Kingdoms now? The Watch had been wiped out, the Wall stood on its own. Could it fall? Anything can fall. Anyone and anything.

He turned away from the open cell gate and looked into one of the cells close by where he had left Dany. She was asleep, had been dying to just rest. She was broken too but in an altogether different way. She could fend for herself, that much was obvious. He had heard so much about this girl, about her disastrous beginning and torturous end. How much was she going to experience before she eventually gave up?

"Y'think she's ready to leave now?"

Rick's voice pulled Jon out of his thoughts and made him turn around. His brows furrowed as he watched Rick talk to the old man, frustration all over his face. He remembered the burdens of leadership. How it could weigh so heavily, every decision, every failure, even every victory. It was more of a punishment than anything.

"No, Rick. She needs time to heal. The wound wasn't too deep but she bled a lot and needs to be brought back from that. She'll need a couple of days."

Rick seemed disappointed by that, he pinched the bridge of his nose with a heavy sigh. "I'm not sure we have a couple of days."

"Well it's what she needs."

He nodded as if he was forced to. Hershel placed a hand on his shoulder and looked to really feel for the younger man. There was a bond there. Father and son it seemed even if they weren't really related. Jon felt a sting pierce through him. He could still see his own father, could remember the day the raven had flown in with the news of his death, his execution. The day everything had begun, when everything had fallen apart.

"My daddy..."

All three of their gazes turned towards the girl who had slowly sat up and spoken.

"What about him?" Hershel was the first to speak and he drew closer to her again.

"He's still out there..." She wiped at the tears that had pearled on her cheek before she looked to Rick. Was that a plea in her eyes? "...he'll die."

Rick just stared at her and Jon could see the disbelief in the man's eyes. They all knew what she was asking and even Jon had to suck in a breath over that request.

"What are you asking?" Rick stepped closer, his hands on his hips as he looked down at her.

"Please, bring him back here. He's injured."

"You said you killed him." Hershel reminded the girl.

She looked up at him apologetically. "I know. I'm sorry. I was scared."

"We're not doing that." Rick stated simply as he made to turn around.

"But he'll die!" She declared at his back.

He looked back to her. "Then you should have stayed with him."

She sank back, her tears coming again. Jon watched it with a bit of sadness coming upon him. There she was broken again and it killed him to see it.

"Please?" She whispered, without looking at any of them.

"I'll go." Jon heard himself say as he stepped forward. He had surprised himself at his words. What exactly was he doing?

Vera lifted her eyes to him, shocked by his offer. Her full lips were fallen in a pout and caressed with tears. How vulnerable she looked. How could he have turned her away?

"I'll go with you." Daryl said, coming down the stairs and approaching him. He had his crossbow over his back and gave him a slight nod.

Rick looked at him, his own disbelief striking through. "I can't have you do that."

"I'm not part of your group." Jon said in his own defense.

"Figured y'all need some meat to eat up, gotta go hunting. Tired of eating oats." A smile appeared on his lips to try to ease the tension that had filled the prison since the 2 new arrivals.

Rick just stared at him a moment before he gave him a barely visible nod. He moved away from them both and to the girl. "Y'tell them where he is and I swear if they don't come back all of this, it won't mean anything." He spat out, knowing he was taking this too far but the pent up emotions raging inside of him were about to destroy him.

She gave a quick nod and then Rick walked away leaving them to it.

Jon hadn't accepted the gun that they offered him, not really sure what a gun was anyways. Daryl walked beside and Ghost trailer after them both. They were quiet, not wanting to attract anything to come towards them. Jon remembered the same feeling as it had come to him Beyond the Wall when the Wildings had been the threat.

"Wish things were easier for him..."

Jon had forgotten that Daryl and him had been somewhat talking in very hushed voices. He knew that he was talking about Rick and so he nodded.

"...but things aren't really easy these days." Daryl finished as they walked into the clearing of the woods that surrounded the prison. This was where Vera had said her father was.

They both fell quiet and Jon looked behind him to check on Ghost but he was nowhere near them. Daryl looked behind as well.

"Where'd he go?" He wondered.

"He'll back. He's a lone hunter." Jon replied, remembering all the times Ghost had gone ahead of him or had fallen behind. He was a direwolf, the Starks was where he belong. He would always return to his rightful place.

Daryl nodded at that and they continued walking. Finally Ghost came running up, something caught between his white teeth. Jon's brows furrowed as he knelt down and took whatever it was from his mouth.

"What is it?" Daryl questioned.

Jon lifted it and felt a shiver crawl up his spine. "A hand." He replied, suddenly thrusted back into the past. He had found a severed hand the day he had sworn his oath to the Watch.

"What the hell?" Daryl demanded, looking at the hand with a bit of turning in his stomach.

"Where?" Jon questioned and Ghost went off, leading them towards whatever it was they had found.

They walked quickly after it, the leaves beneath their feet crunching and the hot wind whipping past them. They could hear how they had drawn the attention of several walkers around them but still they ran. Jon pushed at swaying branches as he rushed behind Ghost, a little worried about what he would found. He remembered the last time this had happened. All his hope for his uncle Benjen had fallen after that.

Finally Ghost stopped and so did both Daryl and Jon. Jon had to make sure this was really what he was looking at.

There was a ravaged body of a man laying on the ground, a long knife in his hands. His stomach had been torn open, eaten alive it seemed but he had died in defense of his life. Daryl glanced around for a walker but something told him he knew he wouldn't find any. Jon let out a gasp when the sound of crunching leaves came out from behind the tree.

Dany awoke with a start, hoping that when she opened her eyes she was back home. Not just Beyond the Wall but her true home. The one she had been searching for her whole life. That red door that her entire being longed for, that place she could barely remember. Why did she long for something so distant that she had no memory of it? All she remembered was the peace she had felt there, that infinite peace that she had never felt again. Bur when she opened her eyes this time she was looking up at the gray ceiling of the prison. Rick's prison. Jon was here. There was a group. She wasn't alone.

With a sigh she sat up, pulling her braided silver hair over her shoulder and rubbed at her eyes. She was still so tired but however long she had slept had done her body good.

Somewhere inside he heard Judith's small voice and a smile tugged at the corners of her lips. She stood up and made her way out of the cell. The baby was the only sound that filled the prison and that made a sweetness fill the dire and lost situation.

She climbed the stairs, wishing that she could change out of these ragged clothes. She stopped walking when she saw Judith laying in Rick's arms. He was resting his head against the wall, and his tormented blue eyes were closed. She watched him a moment, unsure what it was about this man that sank in so closely to her.

As quietly as she could she turned away and tried to make her way back down the stairs. Not wanting to wake him.

"Don't go."

She heard him call out to her and she turned around. He was looking at her, his head still resting back, looking so exhausted.

"I didn't mean to wake you." She whispered, staying where she was.

Lightly he shook his head. "I wasn't asleep." He looked down at his daughter in his arms and his eyes softened just for a moment before the exhaustion climbed back in them again.

She nodded and moved closer, standing by the railing to keep her distance.

"The girl..." Rick began finally looking to her again.

"I understand..." She tried to say but he held his hand up to stop her.

"...I'll let her stay. I just, I can't..." he broke off before he stood up. He was roughed up, his entire demeanor broken and yet still so strong. But how delicate he was with the baby in his arms. "She's staying."

She nodded at his statement, glad inside for the chance that had been won for that broken girl. But when she met his eyes again she noticed something floating there. "What is it?"

"There was a guy out on the road when I was out with Michonne and Carl. He asked for our help...he...he needed our help. I didn't stop and when we came back..." He stopped himself as the image danced before his eyes. He saw all that blood again, the trail on the and that lone backpack left behind. "...he was dead." He finished forcing himself to face it.

"How could you have known?" She asked, her voice so soft in her attempt to comfort him.

He shook his head. "I should have stopped. I should have. How much more blood am I going to let stain my hands?" He demanded.

She had nothing to say. How could she find anything. She knew what that was like. The judgment one passed on one's own self. He had turned his back on her and his head had lowered. There was a circle of sweat on the back of his shirt and the curls of his hair fell damp on his neck. She reached her hand out and touched his shoulder. She felt him freeze but she didn't pull away and he didn't move.

"We all start off dead, Rick. It's a matter of finding something to live again." She whispered it out before moving away and leaving down the stairs. There were tears in her eyes and she wasn't sure why. Because she didn't belong here. Because she didn't belong anywhere. Because Rick was hurting and it tore her apart for a reason she couldn't understand.


	9. Chapter 9

The stench of blood had risen up to their senses but did little to affect them. They were used to the smell and that alone told Jon the state of both of their realms. It wasn't the torn body or the smell of death that caused alarm in Daryl, it was what they had found emerge out from behind the tree.

"Another one?" Daryl asked, his brows tensing.

The sleek black coat that the direwolf had was surprisingly clean. He had the dead body of a squirrel caught between his teeth. He was watching them but when his eyes fell on Daryl he seemed to calm. Slowly he approached him, standing beside him as if he had found what he had been looking for.

Jon watched it with shock. He wasn't sure how exactly he was supposed to wrap his head around it but there it was laid out before him. The direwolf had found its place beside Daryl and what that meant was lost to Jon. The line of the Starks had been cut off had it not? Was he not the last one to survive? He with his oath to never bear a son? To never live as a man under a sigil or a family name? Then how could this be happening?

Daryl didn't speak. He didn't even move. His confusion was as mounted as Jon's was. He looked across at Jon and then down to the direwolf near his feet. Carefully he knelt down and looked into its eyes. The wolf dropped the squirrel from its mouth and simply returned Daryl's stare.

"Looks like we've got similar tastes." Daryl said with a light laugh. "But now I'm hoping he didn't take the last one."

The amount of calm that Daryl was handling the situation with surprised Jon. Most people tended to fear the direwolves, the tales of their vicious power had often been told true. But Daryl seemed unaffected.

"Y'think it's the same like yours?" He asked Jon, standing up again and looking at him.

Jon nodded. "He is. A direwolf."

"Never seen nothing on these wolves...wonder why." He shrugged. "Maybe they're only in...what's that place called? Where you're from?"

"Westeros."

"Right." Daryl turned his attention from the beast and looked down at the man. "Y'think that's her dad?"

Jon suddenly remembered why they had come out here. What they were supposed to be doing. He remembered Vera telling him what clothes her dad was wearing, what he looked like. He trailed his eyes down to the body and sighed.

"That's him." He said with a nod.

"Guess we just wasted our time." Daryl stated shaking his head like he couldn't believe it. "Well we had better head back." He turned to leave but stopped when the wolf started to trail after him. "What is it doing?"

"It seems that he's yours."

"Mine?" He shot his eyes to Jon with confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"The direwolf follows it's owner, protects him, stands loyal to him. And it seems like he's chosen you as his owner."

"But you said..." Daryl glanced down at the wolf, his eyes trying to figure it all out.

"Trust me, I'm not understanding any of this either." Jon replied. "Let's just get back."

Daryl took in a breath and then he nodded, figuring that's what they should do. He didn't want to be out here by night fall and he sure as hell didn't want Rick to start worrying. He went on ahead and started walking which brought Jon after him as well. Ghost and the other direwolf followed after them.

She let out a breath of relief as she dropped the soaked cloth back into the small bowl. She had managed to clean what she could and had dressed in a few pieces of clothing from Beth. It was so different than her usual clothes but they were comfortable and not as dirty and worn as they had been. She kept her own boots however and had fixed her hair into a much neater braid. She felt relieved and she was glad for it.

"All done?" Maggie asked, coming into the cell where Dany was sitting on the bunk.

Dany smiled and nodded. "Thanks so much for this."

"It was Carol's idea really. She thought you'd like to get changed." Maggie rested against the bars and just looked Dany over. She was so different than everyone else they had come across.

"Well then I should thank her."

They were quiet for a moment until Dany finally looked up at Maggie again. The girl was dampened, perhaps by this world, but there was still a fire that was strongly lit beneath her. She was alive and she was going to keep living that way until her time came.

"I know what we've been saying sounds crazy..." Dany said in a soft voice.

Maggie laughed a little. "Well just a bit but...well everything's crazy these days."

"You all have been through so much."

"Well so have you."

Dany nodded and glanced down. She thought of the journey she had taken until this moment and a shiver crawled up her spine. She didn't want to think about any of that.

"Has it always been this way? Your world here?" Dany asked, ever so curious about a place that was so different than her own realm.

She shook her head. "Things were so different. TV, music, parties, a lot of friends." There was a longing look on her face, one that was also full of pain.

"TV?" Dany questioned.

"Television." When nothing registered in Dany's eyes Maggie let out a laugh. "It's not important anymore I guess." Her smile faded as she let her eyes scan the damp and gray place that they all called home.

"But there are things that do, right? Not everything is hopeless?"

Maggie's smile returned at Dany's words. "That's true. With Judith. She's a blessing. I never thought her being here would bring such calm to everyone." She was beaming suddenly and Dany loved the look of sudden happiness in her eyes. "And Glenn. My dad, Beth, everyone."

Dany smiled at her words. She saw the connection between these people and all she could do was think about her own people. Her khalasar, her handmaidens, Jorah, her dragons. Pain flashed in her violet eyes. What would she give to turn back the time?

"And where you're from?" Maggie asked, bringing Dany out of her thoughts.

She shook her head. "I never want to go back there again." She whispered. She saw the barren fields after the war, the bodies she had been laying on top of since they had thought her dead. She had managed an escape during the night and she wasn't even entirely sure how she had done it.

Maggie understood because that was how she felt about her family's farm. They were under attack now, there were walkers everywhere, and death seemed to be at every corner but that place had become her nightmare. She had lost her life on that land, everything she had once held dear. How quickly things were pulled out from under one's feet.

Dany noticed the thick sorrow filling the room and it ached her. She didn't want to dampen this girl's hope, didn't want her to think about whatever it was that had been torn apart in her life.

"What's Woodbury?" She heard herself asking. She had remembered how they had asked her if that's where she was from and she knew that these people were under attack, she could just sense it.

Maggie sucked in a breath. "It's a town, boarded off from everything. Sounds like a dream actually. But me and Glenn, we were taken by Daryl's brother and held hostage there. The Governor, he runs that town, he's sick. And he wants to kill us all." She was angry, it had sharpened in her eyes.

"So what will you do?" Dany questioned, her brows furrowing lightly. The woes of warfare had always struck her. She understood it but the death that came with it was too much of a toll.

"We're making our stand." Maggie replied. "Rick thinks that's our only chance."

Dany nodded. She saw the stress in Rick's eyes, the way it hung in front of his face like a sorrowed veil. No one could get through to him, he was locked away from the world around him.

"He wasn't always this way, was he?"

Maggie shook her head. "So many things have happened. He's had to do much. He just lost his wife..." The words stopped her, the memory grew in her eyes. "...in childbirth."

Dany had figured that, it showed in his eyes the way it no doubt showed in her own. Her heart broke all over for him and she wished that there was something she could do to try and pull him out of it.

"They're back!" Carol called out as she rushed in, a gun slung over her shoulder. Carl followed after he since they had been keeping watch.

Dany stood up and Maggie gave her a slight smile. They turned at the sound of Rick rushing down the stairs. Vera was walking slowly behind him. Dany watched them go into the main cell area. She hadn't known that he had been talking to Vera.

Daryl and Jon came in, not worse for the wear. Daryl nodded across to Rick and Jon glanced from Dany to Vera. She saw how his gaze softened and she suppressed a smile.

"Where is he?" Vera asked, her eyes wide with panic.

"He was dead when we found him." Jon stated with all truth although he regretted the blunt way he had spoken it.

Vera looked between the two men as if she was wishing it wasn't true. Tears sprang from her eyes before she threw herself at Jon. He was caught off guard that she was actually weeping into his neck, seeking comfort there in his arms.

Rick watched for a moment before he looked to Daryl. "We have a problem. It's been here ever since we've moved in..."

"The tombs?" Daryl asked which earned him a nod.

"Vera says we're practically overrun down there. The hole at the back of the prison, it's not giving us a chance against hordes."

"So what do we do?"

"We have to go down there."

"Is that safe?" Dany asked quite suddenly which drew their eyes to her.

Rick held her eyes awhile like he was trying to understand why it was she cared. "It will be but we have to do it. There isn't another way. We can't be weak from one side."

"We head there tonight?" Daryl asked and Rick nodded. "Let me gather some things."

Rick turned away from the main area and walked off towards the cell block. Dany noticed how no one went after him, they just began to gather things that would be useful. Instead she followed him, walked straight up the stairs he was climbing.

"What if you don't come back?" She asked, her voice weighted with worry.

He looked back at her. "Everyone knows what to do." He replied as if that was the only thing to say.

"They do. But what happens if Woodbury comes?

His gaze intensified as he looked at her. He was trying to figure out why he felt so keen on listening to her, why her words cut him so deeply to his core.

"They know what to do."

"They might know what to do, they might know what you told them to do but they'll die without you there. They rely on you." Emotions rose up in her voice. She hadn't been there for her own people, the things she had done, the failures, it rose up to her as the worst kind of memory. She was trying to prevent something else like that from happening. Trying to prevent more burdens to be added onto him.

"They know what to do." He simply stated again leaving no room for her to speak again. He turned his back on her and continued up the stairs leaving her there to stare at the empty space he left.

She let out a sigh and dropped her gaze. She could feel something coming and it tore sharply inside of her. She had to do something. He had to listen somehow.


	10. Chapter 10

**Alright new chapter! Hope everyone likes it!**

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He watched as Daryl tucked his knife into his pants and how the second direwolf just sat there staring. Jon still wasn't used to having another wolf around, not after he had left Winterfell. They ran in packs.

He looked away. They were all dead but this...he wasn't even sure what any of this was. Direwolves were with the Starks only and he had thought that that line had been cut off. But seeing this now was enough to change his mind. Maybe something happened along the road? Maybe his brothers hadn't been killed the way he had thought them to be. Maybe it was all lies.

Maybe...Too many maybes and not enough facts. He was scared and, in a way, relieved. The only question he had was what was this place. What time had they jumped into? Nothing felt the same as it did in Westeros, everyone here looked different. Life was different. Was this the past? Before the Seven Kingdoms? Was this the future? Or was all this happening at the same time just in a different realm?  
"Y'think he'll stay up here?" Daryl asked, looking down at the wolf and then up to Jon.

Jon gave a little shrug. "I'm sure he will."

Daryl nodded and slung his crossbow across his back, taking a breath and preparing himself. "Y'coming?"

Jon shook his head. "They need protection up here too." He replied, although his mind fell only on Vera. He wanted to talk to her, wanted to know what it was about her that drew him in so cautiously.

"Alright."

"You're going to need to name him."

Daryl looked at Jon with a little bit of a laugh. "Never had a pet before. Don't think I'd know what to name him. Yours is Ghost right?" Jon nodded. "Why that?"

"He's white, like a Ghost. Quiet as one too." Jon could still remember the day they had found the wolves. A shadow fell over him when he saw his father's face again. It had been too long since he had seen that memory crawl up from the back of his mind.

"Makes sense." Daryl said before kneeling down in front of the wolf. "We found him out in the woods, squirrel caught in his teeth, on the defense." He reached his hand out and touched his head. "Hunter." He glanced up at Jon for some kind of approval. "That good?"

Jon smiled a little. "Sounds good to me."

Daryl looked again to Hunter and gave another smile. "Should I be this excited? Guess I'm more excited that Rick's let them in here. Quiet as a mouse he says." He finally stood up.

"Quiet as a mouse." Jon nodded at the words before he sat down, the furs he used to wear enough cushion to make him comfortable. "How many are down there?"

"Hell if I know. Apart of me don't even wanna find out."

They both broke off when footsteps came down the stairs. Dany entered, her face drawn and her eyes sad.

"Are you alright?" Daryl asked her, his eyes full of concern.

She looked up at him as if she were surprised to have heard his voice. "I am."

He gave her a smile that was full of disbelief.

"He can't go down there." She softly said.

"Who?"

"Rick. He can't. You can't let him."

"What are you talking about?" Jon asked, looking back up the stairs from where Dany had come from. "What's happened?"

"He needs rest, time away from all this."

"I think they all do."

Dany shook her head. "It's different."

Daryl was looking down at her like he understood everything she was saying. "Y"want me to keep him here?"

"He might listen to you..." She whispered, offering him a thankful slight smile before she made to walk away.

Jon watched her before he finally went to her, gently turning her to face him. "What's going on?"

"I have a terrible feeling about all of this."

"Daenerys, none of this will end good. Just like...like before."

Gently she took hold of his arm and looked into his eyes. "He has to stay."

Jon nodded as she stepped away and moved from him. His brows tensed and he looked back at Daryl who was equally confused.

"What's she talking bout anyways?" Daryl asked, his hand holding to the strap of his crossbow.

"I don't know." Jon replied simply.

Daryl nodded and Jon walked away. He was going to go look for Vera. He wasn't sure what it was that was making Dany so on edge, what it was that was scaring her because that's exactly what it looked like. He was sure that Rick could take care of himself but it seemed that Dany didn't think so or that she had seen something he hadn't.

Rick slowly forced himself down the stairs, his hand gripping onto the gun in its holster. He looked into the main area and saw that everyone was gathered except for Vera and Jon as well as Glenn who was keeping watch. He saw Dany standing where Maggie was, they were talking in hushed voices.

He drew in a deep breath. He wasn't sure if he could look into those probing eyes, those strange eyes that somehow glimpsed inside of him. He knew he had to though, he knew that going in there and setting things out was what had to be done.

Hesitantly he made his way inside, nodding to Daryl and Hershel who looked up at his arrival. Carl rose up, going to stand by him and he offered him a weak smile.

"Everyone ready?" He asked, bringing everyone else's attention to him as well.

And there was that violet stare, so full of concern and he wasn't even sure why. He looked at her, his own tense gaze attempting to soften but he quickly looked away.

"At your call." Daryl said, nodding. He glanced back at Dany and then again to Rick.

"I'm not going." Rick finally forced out, unable to look anyone in the eyes.

"Was thinking that you shouldn't.." Daryl said, complete understanding in his voice.

Rick looked to him and gave a nod and checked to see if anyone else was confused at his words. Surprisingly he found relief.

"In case something happens." Rick added. "Be careful down there."

"I've got Carl, Glenn. It'll be fine." Daryl said with a slight upturning of his lips before he went to go out and get Glenn.

Rick looked at everyone a last time and then turned around and headed back to the cell block. He heard the echoed sound of steps behind him and he quickly looked behind him.

Dany stood there, shocked by his gaze. He didn't say anything, he just looked away and let out a breath.

"I'm glad you didn't go." She softly said, that worry still heightened in her eyes.

"I don't know who you are or why you're worried but there isn't need to be. I'm fine." He stated, finality in his voice.

She gave a simply nod. "I came to ask if you think that this Governor from Woodbury will come anytime soon?"

He looked back to him, studying her almost and the sweetness of her voice. "Anytime now."

"I'd like to help."

"I couldn't ask you to do that." He shook his head, negating any protest and yet still she continued.

"You're not asking me. I'm offering my help." She gave a slight smile. Her presence was so strong to be around. The mother of dragons. This was ridiculous.

"I'm sure they'll be something." He said with a nod before he made to turn around again.

"Rick." She called out, her voice a bit hesitant.

Rick turned around, meeting her eyes again.

"If I could, I wouldn't leave here."

He wasn't sure what to say to that, what words that were left in him. Why could he identify with the pain in her and yet he had brushed Lori's aside? He took a deep breath. He couldn't sink back into that.

"Thank you." He said before pulling himself away and going up the stairs again.

Dany let out a sigh and lowered her eyes. She couldn't figure any of this out. What happened that had let her end up here, why it was she had been brought to this realm. Nothing made sense and yet she was perfectly fine with it. She had nothing back where she had come from. All she had was the endless snow and the cold.

Jon found Vera sitting outside a gun in her hands and her head lowered. He watched her a moment. The sun flowering down on her red hair and her eyes gleaming with her sadness. Harshly he swallowed and tried to convince himself that this wasn't supposed to matter. He couldn't let it happen again, the cycle of death he brought with him everywhere. So why didn't he walk away? Why didn't he leave her to her thoughts?

"Vera?" He called out, his voice soft so as not to startle her.

She looked up at him, her eyes not merely sad but entirely broken. "Jon." She said.

He came closer to her, standing next to her. "Are you alright?" He kicked himself for the question. Her father had just died, why would she be alright?

"I'm fine." She whispered, looking to him with a drawn smile.

"I'm sorry...for everything."

She shook her head. "Don't be. You tried."

He kept his eyes on her, trying not to break the silence that surrounded them but how could he not when there were so many things to say? What were those things? He didn't even know. He had never been too well with speaking to girls. What was he saying? He was a brother of the Night's Watch, he had sworn that all off. But what was the Night's Watch now? Nothing but tatters. Did that make his vows void as well?

She looked to him then, a small smile breaking through on to her face that was brought down by all the sorrow in her eyes. "Jon...nice to meet you."

She was looking at him, studying his face it seemed and a thought shot through his mind of taking her lips with his. He felt a surge of embarrassment crash through him.

The moment was broken when a shot was fired and hit the chain links of the fence. Jon jumped out, taking Vera back with one hand. He peered in the distance as more shots were fired. He saw what the group in the prison called cars, around five of them. Men were coming out of them, armed to the teeth. Rick came out of the prison, yelling for everyone to take cover and Jon felt fear take hold of him. Fear because these weren't walkers that could be slashed down by the heaviness of a blade. These were men who were more dangerous than anything else, did he ever know that.


	11. Chapter 11

**hope y'all like this chapter! Tell me what you think!**

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Rick heard the first few gunshots and immediately raced out of the prison. Daryl had already gone down to the tombs, Carl and Glenn with him. It was just the few of them with hundreds of bullets flying their way. He could hear the shouting and he saw the state of the yard. The cars where the men were firing were the same as before. Woodbury.

With a yell he told everyone to take cover as he readied his rifle. He saw Vera and Jon huddled, he had his sword drawn but what use was it when bullets were everywhere? He was glad just then that Vera was with him, he could tell how stubborn Jon was even in the short time he had known him. Didn't need him dying on him, not like everyone else did.

He stood before one of the wood boards that they had set over the fence and aimed his rifle. He saw that there were around ten men left after the returned bullets from his group. He didn't see the Governor anywhere and that angered him. Couldn't even come to back up his own fight. He fired, taking one man out, the blood spilling out from the wound. The other men were coming closer and their defenses seemed to be cracking what with the walkers and the heavy guns from the otherside.

"Jon!" He shouted, catching his attention. "Get out of there!"

He could see Jon and Vera talking to one another before they finally rushed out from the spot and came his way.

"Get down." He ordered as he aimed the rifle again, taking out another of the moving men.

Jon had thought of a million ways that he could help Vera, hating the helplessness he was feeling. Vera had run out of bullets she said and he only had a sword. He couldn't help but feeling afraid just then, the bullets flying their way having only one intention: to kill them. But he heard Rick's yell over the noise and how he told them to come over to him. He wasn't really sure what to do, he didn't want to get caught by one of those bullets but he also didn't want to leave Rick on his own. Vera was tugging at him, pulling him after her as they rushed towards Rick.

They both got down, taking cover beside Rick as he aimed his gun and shot it off. Jon startled before looking down at Vera. She looked to be so scared, her eyes wide with a her fear.

"It's going to be alright." He assured down to her, even though he really didn't have the means to protect her. He would have before but his sword seemed to be of no use.

He spotted Dany coming out from the prison, the crossbow in her arms as she took aim too. She stood there fearlessly, seemingly unaffected by the bullets chasing towards her.

"Daenerys!" He shouted to her, worried that she might get hit.

Before he see if she had heard him a shot rang out so close to his ear. It almost deafened him. He looked back despite the heavy grimace on his face and saw Vera with her gun out.

"I thought you were out?" He asked, rubbing at his ears.

Vera didn't answer, a smile crept up onto her lips, her eyes directed somewhere ahead of her.

Something built up inside of Jon as he noticed the smile on her face, one of victory it seemed. He looked towards what she was looking at just as a pained yell reached his now cleared ears.

Rick was laying on the ground, a wound on his shoulder, blood pooling on the white of his shirt. His face was twisted with pain as he clutched at it. He tried to get up again, reaching for his rifle again.

"What are you doing?" He demanded.

She only smiled at him before she rushed towards the fence and began to climb, managing to avoid any bullets hitting her. Jon watched her a moment just as Dany came up beside him.

"What happened?" She cried as she dropped down next to Rick. "Rick, we have to get you inside!" She said, her tears falling as she helped him get up off the ground. He leaned on her as his breathing got hoarse.

Jon took up Long Claw, gripping it tight before he rushed out the unlocked gates. He rushed into the yard, cutting down walkers as he did. He took no notice of the blood that gushed out, falling on him as it did. The sun beat down on him and the blood began to cling to his skin. He felt stinging pain pierce through him, the bullets clipping his skin as he approached the cars cautiously. They didn't see him, he waved at the hanging trees and went forward, slashing his blade across one of the mens stomachs. A curdling scream grabbed everyone's attention and they directed their guns at him. He wasn't sure what to do. For the most part he was scared, more than he thought he would be. He wasn't even sure why he had come so close to these men and why he had thought they wouldn't kill him.

"Take him!" One of the men yelled before he reached out and grabbed Jon and threw him into the car.

Dany couldn't help but panic as everyone rushed towards the cell she had helped Rick into. Blood poured out of his wound onto the sheets and his eyes were fluttering closed with the blood loss.

Hershel made his way in, moving Dany out of his way followed by Carol. They were talking to each other quickly as Hershel decided what had to be done.

"Will he be alright?" Dany forced out, her eyes wide with horror as she looked down at how Rick was suffering. Why was it that Drogo shot through her mind? Why did she see him again? Those dead eyes and the way his body had jerked beneath the pillow she had smothered him with?

"He will be." Hershle assured as he began his work with Carol's help.

"We should leave them to it." Maggie softly said to Dany as she led her away from the cell and into the main area.

Dany sat down with a sigh, lowering her head to her hands. She couldn't quite explain the loss of control she was suddenly feeling.

"Hey, I'm sure he'll be okay. He's been shot before." Carl said, his voice only hinting at a bit of worry. "Survived it." He gave a slight smile to Maggie before he continued again towards the cell block where Rick was.

Dany looked after him, sensing the hard strength he had, it surprised her. He had no doubt grown up in this cold and hard world and it had strengthened him. She thought about her own childhood, the lack of it. The hurt she had tasted, the wounds her brother had left her with.

He'll be fine. She was sure of it. He was going to fine.

Jon's eyes tried to adjust to the sudden light that hit him. The bag was pulled off his head and he looked around. There was no longer the weight of his sword at his hip and he was no longer in the car. There were four men standing over him, one of them closest, a patch covering one of his eyes.

"Where am I?" He demanded, his brows tensed together.

"Away from the fight." The man with the patch said, a smile inching onto his lips.

"What happened?"

The man ignored Jon and took Long Claw from one of the men standing behind him. "Seems like we're getting more swords these days." Lightly he laughed, shaking his head as he did.

Jon felt his anger build as he looked at this man handling Long Claw. He thought of Craster, the day he had given it to him. A bastards sword. His sword.

"Who are you?" He demanded.

"You can call me Phillip." He looked Jon over with a bit of curiosity. "You from around here?" He asked, sarcasm in his voice.

"Westeros."

Phillip raised his brows at his answer. "Might as well had said space." He said with a laugh.

One of the men behind Phillip looked alerted at the name of Westeros. Jon eyed him, the first person who looked to be a bit familiar with the name. He was standing there, his eyes looking out at Jon from behind his glasses.

"The prison. They your friends?" Phillip asked, his hands resting on his hips.

Jon didn't say anything, he just glared up at the man who seemed to take up the whole room with his intimidation.

"This one looks a bit stubborn." Phillip noted with a shake of his head. "Leave him here, we have other business to take care of. Vera will look in on him." He said before he gestured for the men to follow him out.

Vera. It had to be a different Vera. It couldn't be her. No. He couldn't have been fooled that easily.


	12. Chapter 12

**tell me how you all like this chapter!**

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He hadn't woken up yet and her tears were still falling. They had offered her something to eat but she had waved it away. She was nervous, too scared to do anything but think. Her heart felt like it had fallen into a million pieces, her soul lost to the darkness of where she found herself. This rivaled the worst moments of her life and she still couldn't figure out why. She didn't know him, she knew nothing about him. She tried to tell herself it was just because he was somebody, someone who was hurt but it didn't convince her. There was something about him that teachers out to her. There was something horribly broken in his gaze that yearned to be revived.

He had yet to wake up. The loss of blood had been heavy but Hershel had finally managed to stop it. He was bandaged up, his skin taking on a paler look and his eyes yet to open. She hated to see him like this. This man who she could tell was so strong. One of the strongest men she had ever known. She admired him, the glint of strength in his eyes even though everything inside of him was falling apart. This wasn't the way a mam like him was supposed to go out. A man like him wasn't supposed to go out.

She sighed, wiping at her tears with the back of her hand. When she had stepped through those flames she hadn't known this would happen, and this quickly too. She reached down, taking up the soaked cloth and patting gently to his forehead. His breathing was steady and he wasn't feverish, for that she was grateful. It was just so hot and he was sweating, his hair clinging to his skin. She wiped it off again and sighed.

"He'll wake up." Carl's voice broke the silence nearly causing her to jump.

She looked up at him, seeing the fearlessness in his eyes but she knew that somewhere inside he was afraid, somewhere inside where the child still lived. She gave a slight smile at that. "You're so sure."

Carl nodded and leaned against the open gate of the cell. "He found us. He wouldn't leave." And there it was. The child that still clung to the heart that lived within him.

She nodded at that, wishing he could keep that innocence that she could tell was slipping away. "Then he'll be just fine." She agreed with a nod.

He glanced down at his dad before he pushed off the gate and walked away, his gun at his side.

She looked down at Rick and wiped again at his forehead. "He's waiting for you." She whispered softly, hoping that there was some part of him that could hear her as she spoke. "He has all the faith in the world that you're getting back up. He loves you."

She felt the tears fall again and she wiped them away. She hasn't known her own parents, her other brother. The only family she had ever known was Viserys and that...well he hadn't been truly family. He hadn't loved her at all.

"There was someone who cared...someone who I mattered to." She spoke so softly, the tears breaking the strength of her voice. "Jorah Mormomt. He was always there, caring for me, protecting me. And now he's gone. I searched for him, I needed him and he's gone. Just like that." She swallowed harshly as she trailed the towel down his neck', the sweat pearling there. "And my dragons. My children. Dragon, Viserion, Rhaegal. They were mine, they were birthed in the flames along with me. I brought them into this world and they died because of me." She softly cried out, her breath hitching in her chest as she collapsed onto his chest. He wasn't awake to comfort her but his warmth was enough to calm the tears and the shaking of her body. She was so lost, so entirely broken.

Slowly she lifted her head, looking over the features of his face. His dark lashes, the curls in his hair, the hair on his face, and the blood staining his skin. All that blood. The blood that nearly killed him. Like the blood that had nearly killed Drogo, the wound that had eventually taken his life. But it hadn't been the wound, had it? It had been the witch, the one she had naively trusted. The witch that had burned in the flames. It had been her fault, everything in her life before had been her fault.

"Rick..." She softly called out, dropping the towel and staring down onto his face. "You have to wake up. Please just wake up." She pleaded, the fear that she hasn't gotten to him quick enough plaguing her. He wasn't going to die. She told herself, trying to beat the fear climbing through her.

Vera walked in, her pistol at her side and a grin on her lips. She was staring down at him, ignoring the anger she saw in his eyes. He was feeling betrayed. He felt like a stupid boy, tricked for her beauty and by her beauty. She had shot Rick and now she was keeping him prisoner. What could he do? He was restrained, unarmed and at the mercy of whatever this place was.

"Where am I?" He demanded, harshly and without feeling.

"Woodbury." She replied, tucking her pistol into its holster. "Or more like the place you'll die." She laughed a little, her hand setting on her hip.

He tugged at the restraints but it wouldn't work. Woodbury. This was who the people at the prison feared. They were going to kill him. They were going to kill everyone. Harshly he swallowed, wondering if he had caused this. He had trusted this . Off of what?

"I'm not dying anywhere." He muttered, his brows tensing and his anger shooting up at Vera.

"So you think. I do thank you though for taking me in."

"If it had been up to me I wouldn't have. The man you shot did." He stated as if it were true. It hadn't been.

"Would you? That's hard to believe." She smiled a little and shook her head a little.

Jon just looked away. He saw Long Claw lying in the corner of the room. One of the men must have set it down there.

"Would you kill me to get out of that chair?" She wondered, her smile still on her lips.

"I would." He knew that also wasn't true. He had never killed a girl. He knew how much more strength he had than she did.

"And if I let you out would you prove that?"

He struggled a moment and then nodded."I would."

"Fantastic." She smiled before pulling a knife from her pants. She leaned close to him, lowering her knife and cutting the ties at his wrists before stepping back with a smile playing on her lips again. "Well there you have it." She took out her pistol and knife and set them down before looking into his eyes. "Go ahead. You have your shot."

Jon just stared at her, unsure if she was being serious. Could he really kill her as simply as that? Could he really grab Long Claw and use it to kill her?

"You don't have it in you, do you?" She taunted with a knowing look in her eyes.

He wanted to say something, wanted to act. But before he could the window broke open and Ghost came through, snarling and stalking towards Vera. Hunter came in after Ghost, his dark coat shining beneath the light. Jon glanced at Vera and saw the fear in her eyes.

"What is this?" Vera demanded as she backed up towards the door.

She was going to run but before she could Ghost charged forward, his teeth digging into her flesh and she screamed out. He stepped back, Hunter standing by as Ghost took out the threat against Jon. The blood sprayed everywhere and her screams died down. Jon just stared, his gaze hardened and speechless.

"When y'said they protected you, didn't think it'd be like that." Daryl's voice spoke as he climbed in through the window.

Jon turned towards him to see that Daryl was just staring at what was left of Vera.

"C'mon man...let's get outta here." Daryl forced out, reaching his hand out and pulling Jon with him back towards the window.


	13. Chapter 13

**A bit of Jon/Daryl walker action. :) Hope y'all like it!**

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Jon quietly climbed out of the window and followed Daryl down the road. No one was out, it must have been pretty late. Ghost and Hunter had gone on ahead, scouring the area for them no doubt. Jon had sheathed Long Claw again and Daryl held his crossbow close to him. They walked silently, looking every which way, hoping no one would see them.

"How did you know I was here?"

Daryl shrugged a little, keeping his voice low. "Just followed Ghost. He seemed to be restless without y'there. When y'weren't anywhere, they took you."

Jon nodded. "Rick? Is he alright?" He had seen all the blood, had heard the gun shot. It had been his fault. He had been the one to trust Vera, he had been the one who wanted her to stay with them. Had it been his fault?

Daryl let out a sigh, one that neither said that it was good news or bad news. He turned to look at Jon with worry sharp in his eyes. "He lost a lot of blood. He hadn't woken up yet when I left."

That hit Jon hard. He saw everyhting over again in his head. Rick wasn't awake yet, he might never wake up. "I didn't know she would do that."

"None of us did Jon. Can assure you of that. I'm sure he's gonna be alright, the man's been through a hell of a lot worse."

Jon nodded to that although it did nothing to ease his mind. They continued walking and hoping that no one in Woodbury would hear them. They were so close to the end of the town when someone called out to them.

"Keep walking, man." Daryl urged, a fear crawling up inside of him.

But Jon didn't listen. He stopped and turned around. He heard Daryl sigh but turn around anyways. Jon saw the man who had called them. It was the same man who had been staring at him, looking out at him from behind his glasses. He still had the shocked look on his face.

"What do you want?" Daryl demanded, his voice defensive. He was gripping tight to the crossbow in his hands.

"You said...Westeros?' He came closer, not paying any mind to Daryl, his eyes only on Jon.

"What do you know of it?" Jon questioned, not letting his guard down but his hope that someone knew something, that someone could understand how this change had happened.

"I read. A lot." He replied. "History."

Jon stepped closer to him before he spoke. "Do you know anything about this? How I am here?"

He shook his head but he rose his hand and pointed towards the direwolves that had stopped walking. "Those are direwolves?"

Jon glanced back and then nodded.

Daryl came closer to them, curious down, his grip not so tight on the crossbow. "Think we oughta go now." He said in a low voice, his gaze sweeping the town.

"House Stark." The man said, his face filled with a mixture of disbelief and awe.

"Yes." Jon nodded. "I am Jon Snow."

"The Wall. You were Lord Commander."

Jon sighed but gave a nod anyways.

"The other direwolf?"

Jon glanced to Daryl before looking back down to the man. "His."

He looked at Daryl curiously then back at Jon. "That means...?"

"I don't know what it means." Jon replied. "But can you help figure all this out?"

He sighed and looked behind him. His brows were pressed together and his eyes were filled with a growing conflict. Finally he looked back to Jon and gave a nod. "I think I can try."

Jon gave a bit of a smile. "Thank you." He turned around and continued walking, the man following behind him as he did.

"He's coming with us?" Daryl asked, staying where he was unmoving.

"Daryl, let's just go." Jon stated, continuing to walk.

"My name is Milton." The man stated, he was growing nervous as they walked further away from the town.

Daryl followed after them, unsure what else to do. They got out quietly enough, walking down the main road without speaking. The night's heat was thick, the smell nothing but Southern Summer and rotting death. Daryl stopped just then, holding his hand up for quiet.

"What is it?" Jon whispered, stepping beside him and looking around.

"Walkers." He replied quietly, pulling out an arrow and loading up the crossbow.

Jon unsheathed his sword and Milton drew back behind them. The wolves snarled and the sound of the walkers rose up around them. Daryl looked closer, taking several steps back. Jon did the same as the walkers came out from the woods nearby. There were around ten of them, coming at them, smelling their living flesh.

"Y'ready?" Daryl asked Jon, tossing a glance back at Milton.

Jon nodded and went after the walkers with his sword. Daryl shot an arrow through one of the walkers head, its body flailing to the ground. Jon went forward, lifting his blade and slashing through one of the walkers. Daryl drew the arrow out from the walker, loaded it up again and fired. Jon shoved the blade up through a neck, the blood pouring out and splashing to the gravel. The walkers fell easily enough. Daryl firing his arrows, stabbing walkers with the tips. Jon severed a head, plunged the sword up through a chest. He kicked one down to the groun, stepping on its dead chest and stabbed the sword straight through its head. He pulled the blade out with a heavy breath and looked to Daryl.

"Easy enough." Daryl said, looking at the group of walkers dead on the ground.

"And quiet enough." Jon said with a nod.

They both looked back at Milton who was just standing there, looking down at the walkers strewn on the gravel.

"Are we leaving now?" Milton asked.

"Prison ain't too far away." Daryl said, gesturing them forward.

Jon followed after Daryl, Milton came soon after and the direwolves seemed to lead the way. The stench and stains of death clinging to them.

Dany opened her eyes with a start when she heard a movement from the bed. The cellblock was filled with the soft light of the newly risen night. Rick was still laying there but he had moved, turning over onto his side and a grimace filled his face. She got off the chair and kneeled beside the bed, looking closer at Rick.

"Rick?" She called out softly, placing her small hand onto his arm. She knew he shouldn't be laying like that, the wound in his arm was going to make it impossible for him to get comfortable.

It took awhile but his eyes slowly opened. The blue of them filled with pain as he looked at her. She couldn't believe it. She had prepared herself over the hours for him to not wake up. He had though, his gaze searches hers for answers.

"Rick!" She exclaimed, her tone no doubt going to draw everyone inside but she didn't take mind to that. Tears had filled her eyes and she had grabbed his hand with relief.

He let out a groan as he tried to get up, his hand shooting towards the bandaged wound.

"You were shot Rick." She softly said, trying to calm down so as not to startle him.

He let out something of a laugh as he struggled to sit up. "Feels like it." He said, gasping out with strain.

She stood up, looking at him, waiting to see if he needed anything.

"Everyone else?" He looked up at her, his gaze struggling to grasp onto a bit of hope as he sat there, scared of what she might say.

"Everyone is alright." She said, sitting next to him. She thought not to tell him about Jon but lying to him, that didn't seem like too good an idea. "Except...Jon isn't here. They took him."

His face hardened at her words. He tried his best to ignore the pain from the wound but it crawled up through him anyways.

"Daryl went to look for him. He told me to tell you that everything would be just fine." She wanted to assure him but in light of everything that had happened that was looking hard to do. "Rick. I'm sorry."

"For what?" He asked, looking up at her. His eyes softening once they found hers. She looked tired, her eyes drawn. She had been there the whole time it seemed and her relief to see him up was surprising.

She sat down next to him on the bed. "For everything." She softly said, her voice lowering just as her eyes grew sad.

"Don't be." He replied, his voice matching hers as he met her eyes. He reached over, his hand settling on hers.

She gave a small nod before reaching over and lightly touching to the bandage over his wound. She looked into his eyes and then drew back with a small sigh.

He watched her a moment, his brows tensing a little as he tried to figure out what was happening in her eyes, in his own eyes.

"He's awake!" Someone called out who had glanced inside the cell.

Just then everyone came in. Trying not to crowd Rick but perfectly happy that he was alright. He took ahold of Carl, holding him close, and finally letting his tears fall. He had been so close. Death had been so near to him, crawling up inside of him and trying to tear him apart. But he hadn't succumbed, he was alive, his boy was in his arms and nothing had killed him. He was alive.


	14. Chapter 14

**Alright, hope you like this chapter! Thanks for reading and for the lovely reviews! *whispers* I love them all!**

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The prison came into view for then, Ghost and Hunter having trailed off awhile ago. Jon was glad for that, he had seen the way that Ghost had mauled Vera and he figured that they shouldn't be biting into any of the walkers. He wasn't sure what would happen to the wolves were they to do that. It was just Daryl, Milton and himself. His sword was sheathed by now, a knife in his hands that Daryl had given him for easier killing. After the group of some ten walkers they hadn't ran into any since. He was glad for it, being already covered in blood, the heat making it stain and stick.

"We just go through the yard?" Jon asked, looking out at the dozens of walkers roaming there.

Daryl nodded. "Yeah, that's what we do." He slung the crossbow over his shoulder and pulled the knife from the waistband of his pants.

"Hey wait." Jon called out.

Daryl stopped and looked at him. "What is it?" He asked, his brows tensing together lightly, lowering his voice a little.

Jon sighed and nodded. "Let's go then." He said, glancing back at Milton, gesturing him forward. "Just don't want him to get hurt."

Daryl glanced at Milton and let out a heavy sigh and shook his head. "Didn't want him to come with us anyways." He said with a bit of disappointment pulling down his words, continuing to go towards the yard.

"We are going through the yard alright?" He held out the knife to Milton, figuring he should be able to protect himself. "Just a few walkers, nothing else."

Milton glanced out at the yard and swallowed nervously. "Just a few?" He asked as he reached out and took his knife from Jon.

Jon followed after Daryl with Milton walking behind them. Daryl took a ring of keys off his pants and unlocked the gate, gesturing the two men inside before he shut up the gate, turning the key in the lock when he did.

The walkers already noticed them, dragging themselves towards them. Daryl groaned a little before plunging the knife into one of their heads. The sound it made was rough as it slipped when he pulled the blade out.

Jon unsheathed his sword, the heavy blade glinting in the heat of the sun above them. He slashed the sword through one of the walkers necks, the blood spilling over the steel of the blade. The head rolled down, falling to the ground. Was that how his father's head had fallen when the executioner had taken the sword to his neck, deeming him a traitor? He couldn't think of that now, a couple of walkers were making thier way towards him and he had to stay alert.

Again he raised the sword, a heavy breath escaping his lips as he dug the blade through his skull. The sun beat down on him and the smell of death filled his senses, sickening him. He had seen so much death and yet he still couldn't get used to the sight of it. Was there ever a time when someone managed to make seeing death easier? Was there ever a time when death wasn't haunting?

A yell broke his attention and he turned in the direction of it. Milton was being pressed to the ground, the knife on the ground next to him. His yells were loud, drawing more walkers towards him.

Jon cursed under his breath, kicking at the walker nearest to him and rushed to where Milton was. He lifted his sword, crashing it through each of the walkers surrounding the fallen man. Just as he finished a scream tore through the air. Jon reache dout, grabbed the walker by its head and threw it off, pushing his sword between its eyes. He pulled out the sword and looked down at Milton.

A bite had torn a gash into Milton's shoulder, it was bleeding and ugly. Jon just stared at it awhile, the way it seemed to pulse with death, dragging each breath out of Milton's fearful body. His glasses were broken, hanging off his face and his features were screwed up with pain.

"I'm bit." He pushed out, his hand trembling as he tried to touch to the wound.

Jon heavily sighed and took Milton up, laying him over his shoulder with a heavy sigh of exertion. Milton cried out, his pain worsening.

"Going to get you inside, alright?" Jon said to him, his sword in his better hand.

Daryl met up with him at the main gate, fumbling for the keys at his waist. He looked at Milton who was draped over Jon's shoulders.

"He's bit." Jon said, his voice drained as he could see his only explanation to whatever was happening slipping away.

Daryl nodded, letting his eyes linger awhile at the man draped over Jon's shoulder nad then trailing down to see droplets of blood falling to the grass below.

"We'll bring him in." Daryl said as he got the key into the locked and twisted it. "But..."

Jon nodded, knowing full well what that meant. Dying people turned, bit people turned. It was a damn cycle. Milton was going to die whether they had medical asisstance or not. It was only a matter of whether or not Jon could get some information from him before te inevitable happened. He was scared to be kept in the dark. He wanted away from this world. Not that Westeros was faring any better, himself a wanted man and the Lannisters on the throne, but it was where he belonged.

Rick pulled on his shirt, glancing in the mirror at the heavy bandage covering his wounds. The stab wound from Morgan as well as the bullet wound from yesterday. The night had passed with him sleeping but today he was determined that he would get things done. He had enough of laying down, nursing himself to health again. There was a heavy ache coursing through him, weakening him enough to a point of exhaustion but he had to continue about. He couldn't leave them all to fend for themselves, not now with the Governor hovering at their doorstep.

He was nervous. Daryl still wasn't back. Alone or with Jon. He kept telling himself not to think the worst but it came out that way anyways. If Vera had been the one to shoot him and everyone had seen her go off with the Governor's men than he was sure Jon would be in Woodbury. He had already decided that if they weren't back by tonight then he was going to go on ahead to find them.

"You're looking beat up." Carl's voice was humored as he watched his dad.

Rick turned around, buttoning up his shirt. "Like an old man." He said, laughing as he did.

Carl nodded, his laugh escaping his lips softly. The laugh was there in his voice but it was weak in his eyes. Everything had weakened now, all the things that used to be enjoyed before. It hurt to see that in his sons eyes. To see the way this empty world had darkened his boy. It scared him to see the darkness in everyone now, even in himself.

Carl looked into Rick's eyes, curiosity filling them. "Dad? Are they staying?"

"Who?"

"Jon and Dany."

Rick's brows tensed a little. "First Michonne now y'want all them too?" He laughed a little but Carl didn't return it.

"I just think that...well Jon is pretty cool." He kicked lightly at the ground, lowering his eyes from Rick's.

"And Dany?"

"Well she cared when you were out, you know?" He lifted his eyes again to Rick's.

There was a need there, ever since they had left the farm. A need for stability. Rick was struggling to find it, needing so desperately to make it reality but where would he find it in such a desolate world? Where did he bring his son and his baby girl to safety when death roamed everywhere? He didn't want to deem it impossible but it was starting to feel that way.

"Yeah. She did." Rick nodded at that, seeing again the relief flooding her eyes as tears fell. Why had she cared? Why had she been there sitting beside the bed just waiting for his eyes to open?

"They could be good for us, right?"

Rick was always shocked to see such childishness coming from him now. He was so used to the days passing silently, his gun in his hand, those blue eyes covered by the brim of his hat. It was easy to forget that he was still a boy, still not entirely grown up.

"They could but it seems like they might wanna leave." He gave a light shrug which toyed with the pain from his wounds. He winced and then let out a short breath.

"Well if they don't want to. You would let them stay right?"

Trusting people. It was something that Hershel constantly told him to do. He knew it was mandatory, maybe the only humane thing he had left to hold onto. He couldn't push everyone away and expect to survive. But the fear was still there, echoing sharply in his mind. He had trusted so many people and each time a failure, a let down came out the other end. He had trusted Shane.

Rick slowly nodded. "Yeah. If they wanted to stay, I'd let them." Was he just telling him this to ease the boys mind or would he really allow it?

A smile pulled at the corners of Carl's lips at Rick's answer and it was a welcome sight. When was the last time he had seen his boy smile? He would keep that image right there in his mind.

"C'mon, let's get your sister." He said softly, gesturing him to follow after him.

They walked together up the stairs where Judith was napping but before they reached her the prison doors opened and Jon and Daryl burst through. Jon had a man slung over his shoulder and his face was twisted up with worry.

Rick and Carl rushed down the stairs towards them just as everyone shuffled out curiously.

"Y'two alright?" Rick asked, looking solely at Daryl, seeing that he was alright and feeling relief fill him over that.

"We're fine." Daryl nodded, glancing towards Jon.

Jon knelt down with a bit of a struggle and laid Milton down on the cold floor. "But he isn't."

"Who is he?" Rick asked, looking between the two men before he saw the bite on the man on the ground's shoulder. "He's bit?" He demanded, his eyes shocked as he looked to Daryl for answers.

Jon found Dany's eyes as she came closer, looking down at the wounded man. 'He can help us, Daenerys. He knows where we're from. He might be able to tell us how to get back."


	15. Chapter 15

**So...new chapter! Tell me what you think!**

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Milton was lying heaving on the ground, the bite weakening him, sending a rain of sweat slick on his skin. He was looking between everyone who had come over to see the commotion. He was scared but his eyes were widened with amazement as they fell upon Daenerys. His chest rose and fell with struggle, each gasp burdened and dry.

Jon turned to Milton, gently laying a cool cloth on his face that Beth had brought over. He wiped the sweat from his face and then looked back at Daenerys. "I couldn't believe it. He knew what I meant when I mentioned Westeros. He knows me, he knows you."

Dany struggled to smile, her eyes passing between Jon and the wounded man on the ground. Carefully she went closer, taking hold of his hand. "You're hurting." She whispered, wishing that she had something, anything to ease the pain he was obviously feeling. They had barely enough supplies to treat Rick's wounds, could she really ask them to give up their supply for a man they didn't even know?

Milton nodded, his eyes never leaving her face. "The mother of dragons." He whispered, his voice a thick rasp.

She softly hushed him, seeing how he cringed with every breath. Her heart broke for him.

"He's from Woodbury." Daryl spoke up, moving around Milton and going to stand by Rick. He was defensive. He had seen Jon tied up, had seen what they had done to Glenn and Maggie. "We can't keep him here."

Rick didn't answer. He stared down at the man, trying to figure out if he really was telling the truth or if these were the ravings of a dying man hoping to stay alive a bit longer. He hadn't given himself the time to sit down and contemplate the stories these two people offered but now as he stood there he felt denial ripping towards him. Things like this didn't happen. Time travel or whatever it was they were talking about. How could he say what did and did not happen though when he was living in a world where walkers roamed the earth. How impossible had that been?

"I say we kill him." Merle spoke up from where he was leaning against the wall, the blade attached to his arm glinting in the daylight. He had drawn his gun, was aiming it towards Milton.

"No!" Dany nearly shouted, her hand still holding onto Milton's. How many times had she nursed the wounded? Helped the broken? And this man had things he needed to say.

"He'll die from the pain soon enough." Jon stated, glancing over at Merle. He understood the tenseness in the room. He had brought a man from Woodbury into their prison, had put them all at some kind of risk.

"And when he dies we'll be blamed. Have the Governor at our door again." Merle stated, his finger still ready at the trigger.

"He's already at your door." Jon stated, remembering the smug man he had met while tied to the chair. Wars. They never made sense until they were over and even then, the death toll was too great and the end result was too small to be worth it.

"Let him speak." Dany softly ordered when she saw Milton begin to move his lips. She lowered herself closer to him so that she might hear him better.

"Jon must get back." Milton said, his eyes glazed over with a million tears.

"But how?" Jon pressed desperately. Thinking of staying here, lost in this walker ridden world frustrated him. This wasn't where he belonged. The White Walkers were still out there, the Wall needed to be manned. He couldn't abandon that. Where would he go?

"The flames...they will take you back." Milton said, locking eyes with Jon. "Son of ice and fire."

Jon didn't know what to say. He wasn't sure whether to take the man's words as feverish rambling, a riddle or something literal. Ice and Fire. He had heard the rumors of his birth, the ones that circled the Seven Kingdoms. He had even heard whispers of it at the Wall. But hearing it from this man, from this time. He looked down at Milton, his brows tensing together.

"But they're gone, those flames we walked through."

Milton grimaced with the pain that shot up through him as his watery eyes found Jon's. "When it's over." He whispered.

Jon was about to say something else but Milton diverted his attention and turned to Daenerys.

"Everyone thought you died." He said, his eyes were filled with wonder as he looked at her. "But you're here. Those books never said anything about that"

Daenerys smiled softly and yet sadly as she looked down at him. "I'm here." She whispered.

"The mother of dragons." He said it again, a smile creeping onto his lips despite the pain he was feeling.

Dany shook her head. "No more." She said as tears filled her violet eyes. No more. Her dragons were dead, fallen because of her, because of the throne that hadn't even fallen to her. She closed her eyes and tried to blink away the memories but they were there in front of her, breathing and alive.

Milton let out a hard gasp as his back arched. He let out a cry and his hand tightened on Dany's.

"He's in pain!" Dany shouted worriedly.

"Like I said, we need to kill him." Merle said, stepping forward with a grin on his lips. He still had his gun in his hand and was about ready to pull the trigger.

Dany stood up, looking at him with a hard look in her eyes. "Stop." She ordered, her voice full of authority and unrelenting strength.

Everyone stopped at the tone of Dany's voice, even Merle who was staring at her silently. His hand still held the gun but his eyes held neither anger or a challenge.

"I will do it." She said, her voice lowering but not lessening in its authority.

Dany turned around to face Rick who had been silent the whole time, Daryl standing next to him. She looked into Rick's eyes who was simply staring down at Milton as if her were trying to understand and process everything. She didn't say a word, she simply reached out and took the gun from his holster. He startled but she had already turned around again.

"What are y'doing?" He questioned, stepping forward.

She didn't answer. She lifted the gun, fumbling with it for awhile. Her finger cocked it back the way she had seen the group do it.

"Better get him in the head." Merle stated, as everyone simply watched Dany with the gun in her hands.

Milton hadn't moved, his eyes had closed. Dany tried her best to aim, her hands were shaky, her uncertainty strong. She squeezed the trigger, the bullet flying out and teh recoil sending her staggering backwards.

Rick rushed to Dany, helping her steady herself. Milton let out another gasp, his hands shooting to his stomach where the bullet had it, blood leaked through his fingers.

"Nice going, Guinevere." Merle said with a shake of his head.

"It's so warm..." Milton whispered before his eyes rolled back again. His chest rose and fell slowly until it stopped altogether.

Dany stared down at the body, gently breaking away from Rick's help. Tears trickled from her lashes and she wiped them away. The look in his eyes had been the same she had gotten from the slaves she had freed. A look of wonder, of love. But what did she have now? Nothing but a strayed bullet and tears in her eyes. Misplaced in this world, exiled in Westeros. She was nothing but an orphan again, the last dragon of her dying house.

"What did he mean it's warm?" Jon asked, rising from how he had been kneeling. He was looking between Dany and Rick.

Dany's eyes seemed to widen at Jon's word. She looked down at the gun Rick had taken back. "What did he mean?" She repeated Jon's question as she held Rick's eyes.

Rick shook his head and returned the Python to its holster. "Firing a bullet, it's hot." He replied, although unsure.

Jon glanced at Dany and then again to Rick.

"What's with the secrets?" Daryl asked, his brows curiously knitting together.

"I don't know." Jon muttered, shaking his head. He could feel the blood sticking to him, could smell it coming from Milton.

"C'mon, y'tell us all this and y'won't tell us just one more thing?" Merle questioned, stepping forward. "Or y'all scared we're gonna find out you've been high on shrooms this whole time?"

"The prophecy." Dany said, looking between Rick and Daryl but leaving her gaze away from Merle.

"Prophecies now?" Rick asked with a low breath, pushing his hand through his hair. The pain in his shoulder was nagging at him and he touched to it with a hiss.

"Lightbringer...a sword, it's a living blade. Stabs through with heat."

"That was a bullet or didn't y'notice the difference?" Merle chuckled and shook his head.

"It'll end the white walkers." Jon whispered, looking down at the gun in Rick's holser. "And put the rightful king on the throne."


	16. Chapter 16

He had stalked off. Not entirely convinced suddenly about the absurdity of this story. Was he really expected to believe all of it? Believe something so outlandish that was being thrown in his face? An idiot would believe it and he wasn't an idiot.

It only made matters wirse that the story had come from a man from Woodbury as if his word would hold some credibility. For all Rick knew this could be some kind of a trap. After all Jon had brought the man back here, he had been so quick to help Vera. Could he really throw Dany in with all of that though?

Mother of dragons. The title to him as he scoffed. Dragons didn't exist and neither did anything else that that man had mentioned. Dragons, prophetical words about thrones. None of it was true. All it was was a bunch of crazy talk.

Judith's small noises pulled him from his thoughts and he went over to have a look at her. Her eyes looked up at him and her balled up fists reached for him. The sole light to the entire group, that's what she was. The love of his life, his little girl. He was going to keep her safe even if that meant pushing outsides out to the edge of the earth. He couldn't trust easily. Not if it was gonna put the groups life at stake, Carl's, Judith's. They always came first, no matter what.

Gently he touched her small hand, uncurling her fingers and letting her grip onto his. He managed a smile. A weak one. A tired one.

"We're gonna make it." He whispered down to her, his words so full of uncertainty. What were promises if he couldn't keep them? What was love if he couldn't show it? He felt it so strongly so why couldn't he express it in the way he wanted to? By keeping them all safe? The Governor was still out there and now that they had Woodbury's man dead in their prison, that would bring leverage to The Governor's war. The walkers weren't their only threat. They weren't the only things waiting to tear them apart.

"What do I do?" His whisper came out broken and he could feel teh weakness engulf him. Was he leading them all to their defeat? Or was this the right path? He had to think of something or else they were all dead where they stood.

Carefully pulling from Judith's hold he let out a small sigh. What happened now? Now that the enormity of the situation had awoken before him Now that disbelief echoed inside of him over Jon and Dany? Did he send them away? Did he keep them here? What would Carl do if he sent them away? He would resent his decision just like all of his other choices. He couldn't deal with that. Not again. Not ever.

Turning away from the playpen he took his Python out from its holster. He looked over the gun with question in his eyes. What had the man meant when the bullet had entered him? It didn't make sense. Neither did the sudden talk of prophecies from Dany and Jon. The thought was confusing him more than he could bear and when he got to that point it also angered him. Angered him because he needed answers quick these days, needed to know that in the end things were mapped out and known.

"Rick?"

Dany's voice reached him and he put the gun back into its holster. He turned around to look at her. She had changed, her long silver hair in an identical braid and a dirtied white shirt nearly hanging on her. She had a knife in her pants and her boots were scuffed from the dampness in the prison.

Quickly he looked away from her, turning his attention back to the baby in the playpen. So innocent, so unaware of the death building up around her. This was the life she was going to know. The only world she was going to live in. He wished that wasn't so but these days wishes and hopes, they didn't mean a thing.

"I'm sorry." She wasn't quite sure what she was apologizing for but the way he had walked off had made her feel the need to.

"For what?" He snapped out, turning his eyes to her. His gaze wasn't harsh, only questioning, waiting. He was in need of a confirmation that she was who she said she was. Maybe he was eager to believe there was another world out there, another place where people could live and be free from the dark depths this one had to offer.

She let out a low breath and looked away, not wanting to see the disbelief growing behind the glistening blue of his eyes. This man had suffered so much, was questioning also to be added to that/?

"Is it that hard to believe?" She finally let her eyes drift back to him, something of a plea waiting behind them.

He shook his head a little. "A bit."

"Why? When it's true? You don't think I've had a hard time accepting all of this?" She gestured about with her hands at her surroundings, a bit of frustration growing in her.

"But this is real." He stated almost too harshly. He would have taken it back but words could never be. He held her eyes, holding back anything else.

"What's so different about me and those things out there? The dead walking?"

He knew she was only stating what ought to be stated. The world he lived in was already enough of a confusing thing to think of. He couldn't imagine how she was supposed to grasp it.

Slowly she walked towards him never breaking their eye contact. "There are other things to think of, Rick. Other things you have to do. I'm asking you to believe me. Can you do that? Believe what I'm saying is true?" Her voice never wavered but her eyes were begging him.

He let out a low breath and looked away for a moment before he met her gaze again. "I can try." He nearly whispered with a nod.

She reached out and set a light hand onto his arm. "Thank you."

He glanced down at her small hand touching to his arm, the dirt that clung to it. So close to his own hand. No she couldn't, shouldn't touch him. He was stained with the blood of others, with the defeat of his own group. She couldn't be apart of that.

He stepped back from her touch and gave her a small nod. "It's nothing." He replied, setting his hand on his gun before walking past her and down the stairs.

She stood there awhile, unsure what to do now. Had she been too bold? What had she even been thinking?

With a disappointed sigh she moved to the playpen and looked down at the baby inside. A tear slid from her lashes and her heart broke. A child so small, so innocent lost to the grasp of the deadly world outside these walls. She had to survive, she had to live on the way her own baby boy hadn't. If she didn't, everything else died with her. Hope, the will to live, everything. She didn't want to see that happen.

Jon had spoken of going back, the man had practically told him that it would happen sooner or later. Jon seemed eager enough to get back, he seemed to have left some kind of world behind but her? She had lost everything in her pursuit of the throne. She didn't really think of the throne anymore, her birthright, her claim. All she thought of now was her dragons, the people she had lost. Would she go back when the time came? She couldn't even answer the question.

The day was dimming down and Jon let out a long breath as he stuck the shovels head into the ground. Daryl did the same,e but he didn't seem as exerted. He dusted off his dirtied hands and tossed a look over to Jon.

"We shouldn't have let him come." This wasn't just him talking because the guy was from Woodbury. This was a pang of remorse crawl up inside him. He had died in their ground, he had been taken here and he had died. Where was the right in that?

Jon didn't answer, he just stared down at the hole they had filled. Milton was laying beneath all that dirt, dead to the world around him.

"Who was the first person you saw die?" Jon asked, looking up at Daryl.

Daryl lowered his eyes and gave something of a sigh. "My mom. Didn't really see her die but I was there. She was nothing by the time they got her out. Nothing but dust." He replied, the words coming heavily off his tongue.

"Fire?"

Daryl nodded. "And you?"

Jon gave a shrug of his shoulders. "I can't even remember." He whispered. His mind drifted. What would he have done if he had been there when his father's heads had been taken? Would he have risen up for his father's honor, knowing him as the most honorable man in the Seven Kingdoms? Or would he have stood there, like craven boy?

"Losing count. Seems like we do a lot of that lately. How many minutes have passed, what day it is, who was the last person to speak, the last thing you ate. But how many people you've seen die? It never fades." Daryl looked elsewhere away from Jon's dark stare.

"Never." Jon agreed with a slight nod of his head.

Silence crowded around them until Daryl finally brought his eyes back to Jon. "All that stuff Milton said...it all true?"

Jon met Daryl's eyes and nodded. "Yes, it is."

Daryl returned the nod. "Oh." He simply replied, he turned his eyes out to where the wolves were huddled together, hissing it seemed at the walkers near there gates. Jon had said dire wolves only came to Starks. What did that mean for Daryl?

"Do you believe it?" Jon asked, knowing that Rick was having a hard time accepting it. It was harder for Rick though, he had to keep this group safe and trust wasn't something that came easy when you had that sort if responsibility.

"Seen a chupacabra and all these walkers are going about. Don't think there's anything too hard for me to believe now,." Daryl said with a light shrug.

Jon looked at him a moment, trying to see if he meant it when he accepted that he did he removed the gloves from his hands. "What's a chupacabra?" He questioned.

Daryl looked up at him before a small laugh came from his lips. "Maybe another time, most people don't believe me none anyways. 'Sides we better get back." He gestured Jon with him, setting a hand on the strap of his crossbow over his shoulder and headed off towards the prison, the two wolves following in tow.


	17. Chapter 17

**New chapter...hope it's liked? ;)**

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A night passed in silence. The prison was more quiet than it had ever been, if that was even possible. Jon sat by himself most of the time, thanking anyone quietly for the food they brought to him. He was lost to his own thoughts, his eyes drawn and his thoughts a scurried mess. He wanted to say something, wanting this silence to disappear. They didn't have time for contemplation, did they? They were obviously under attack and they needed to get things moving but he knew forcing progression wasn't something he could do. That would only worsen the situation. Everyone needed time to adjust, everyone needed time to accept. Even if the idea of these walkers were just as far fetched as his own story, he supposed giving them time to understand was the most he could do after dropping all of this onto their shoulders.

He was sitting calmly, lifting his spoon into his mouth. The food was unfulfilling but it was really all that they had. He had thought that the food at the Wall had been horrible and although they had been searching helplessly for food he wasn't sure if things had been this bad for the men there. It was upsetting to see such a big group of people living off so little. Poverty had never sat alright with him. The thought of seeing his family going without, he didn't like the idea at all.

The night as killing him, this amount of silence was enough to drive him insane. It was times like these when your thoughts got the better of you. Thoughts of despair and doubt. He had tried so many times to keep a level head when things had descended downwards when he had been Lord Commander but thoughts easily slipped into his mind and doubt began to rise up. He wasn't fit for it. Things were never going to go his way. He was just a man and men couldn't control as much as he was supposed to take on. If he wanted thingz to go right he needed to get his mind away from thoughts and rely solely on the instinct he had been born with. Leaders were given instinct for a reason, were they not?

His eyes were trained on the spot where Milton had been laying and the sight nearly sickened him. They had tried to clean as much of the stain as they could but the blood had still darkened the ground and in the shadowy light that filled the prison he could make it out clearly. He could hear the mans labored breaths, see the pain that had filled his eyes. He had died a painful death, the bite festering on his skin like a disease ready to spread itself into his body. But he had also been somewhat at peace, his eyes filled with wonder as he looked between Jon and Daenerys. He had found something in them that he hadn't expected. Perhaps he had once doubted all of it was true but it was real and that alone, that someone had known, brought Jon enough comfort.

There was a way to get back. That's all he kept repeating to himself, there was a way to get back to his world. It sounded to him, from what Milton had said, that he still had things to do. Things had been left unfinished when he had stepped through that portal. But if he still had things to do in Westeros or maybe beyond the Wall why didn't the flames reappear? Why couldn't he leave now and get back to his rightful place? Was something keeping him here? Was that really possible?

What could it be about this group of people, their war. What was it about them that kept him here? What was binding him to them? There had to be a reason, everything worked with reason. His father had often told him that.

"You ever use a gun?" Carl's voice was serious as he came up beside Jon, his hand carrying a cup of something. His eyes were covered by the brim of his hat and his gun was holstered at his hip.

Jon turned to look at him, a small grin making its way onto his lips. "Not that I can recall."

"Don't they have guns where you come from?"

Jon shook his head, setting his bowl down beside him. "Are you going to teach me?"

Carl shrugged. "Can't exactly teach you in here and firing a shot outside will just draw more walkers. But…" He leaned down, setting his cup onto the ground before he drew his gun from its holster. "..I could show you a few things."

Jon nodded, a smile set on his lips as he gave the boy his full attention. He thought of his brothers and the familiar ache rose up inside of him again. Were they alive or had they died? What did it mean that Daryl was here, seemingly apart of his family seeing as a direwolf had come for him? Did that mean what he was hoping it would mean?

Carl was talking, his tone low and completely serious. The gun looked large in his hands but his eyes showed the cold hardness of living in this world. What had he been like before all this? But the past didn't ever matter, it was the present that did. The present and staying alive.

"Alright, it's pretty simple really. It's not just aim in shoot though. Gotta keep your hand steady, there's some force-" he lifted the gun, jerking it a bit for an example. "And you can't think too much." he added giving a shake his head. "You have to focus though. Keep your hand steady, your mind. It can only be you and your target, one of them." he said with a nod. "And then you squeeze the trigger and fire. Just like that." he said with another curt nod. "Too bad we can't fire in here though. Better to learn with practice, only way to learn."

He listened carefully, his head nodding every few seconds. The gun seemed to be a hard thing in the boys hands, something that didn't belong there. It was like a child with a sword. But this wasn't practice this was actual killing, actual killing.

"Did you know how to shoot before this?"

Carl looked up at Jon as if something had snapped him out of the moment and he shook his head. "No, never. I was what ten? My mom wouldn't have let that happen." He smirked a little which hid the sudden sadness that went through his eyes.

"Did your dad teach you?"

Carl shook his head. "No." He said with finality as he put the gun back into its holster. He was an expert with the weapon, that was obvious.

Jon gave a nod, knowing that he wasn't going to press it. He could see the way Carl's eyes had darkened with, what? Sadness? Grief? Loss?

The sound of heavy footsteps came down the stairs and everyone's attention turned there. Rick had finally came down, his eyes sweeping over the group gathered in the main area. It fell quiet again, even Carl had fallen silent.

The keys on Rick's pants made a the only noise, that and the way his boots echoed off the stairs.

"Y'alright?" Daryl asked, rising to his feet as he held Rick's eyes.

Rick gave him a nod before his eyes rested on Jon, an unmoving gaze. He looked to be contemplating, to be trying to figure something out. After a silent moment he moved his eyes to Daenerys and she met his gaze. It remained like that as if they were silently speaking to each other until he looked away. He let out a low breath and pressed his fingers to the bridge of his nose.

"What is it?" Daenerys finally asked, her voice small and soft in the stillness of the prison.

Rick gave another nod before his hand dropped to his side, his hold wrapping around his gun that remained at his hip. "We're going to Woodbury." He said in a low and firm voice. He didn't wait for anyone's reaction to the sudden decision. He turned on his heel and walked back up the stairs, going to gather up his rifle that he had left up there before he came back down.

"We're leaving tonight." He said as he walked past them and slipped outside of the prison.


	18. Chapter 18

**So I'm hoping everyone likes this chapter. A lead up chapter and some prophecy talk. Hope y'all enjoy. Review/read/comment/hate I love you anyways. :)**

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Daryl went after Rick, the sun hitting him harshly as the prison doors closed behind him. Rick turned around, his eyes quietly observing him before he turned back to the car he stood by.

"Why are we going back there? Thought we were making our stand here?" He wasn't questioning him, simply putting the original plan back into his head.

"And what? Get killed by the end of it?" He shook his head, closing the trunk and turning around to face Daryl. "One of their men died here, we'll carry the blame for that."

"He was bit, not our fault."

"He was bit here." He walked past Daryl and towards the prison again before he stopped. "Do y'believe them?" He asked, his voice suddenly startled with the questioning behind his words as he returned his gaze back to him, the blue of his eyes glistening in the hot afternoon.

Daryl thought about it for a moment, the idea tossing itself up in his head. There were so many reasons why it shouldn't be true. Portals, dragons, thrones, sounded like some of those picture books he used to read as a kid. But then there were things why he needed to believe all of it. If it was true that meant he had family, more family than just Merle inside. He had a family that had lasted through time. The direwolf would be proof of that. He needed that thought, wanted to cling to it.

"I do." He replied with a nod, seriousness lacing through his words.

Rick held his eyes, thinking on it himself. He had never been stubborn to believe in the grace of God, although from time to time he lost track of the faith he always wanted to have. He had never been stubborn to believe in the truth of love as it was presented to him. So why was he so uneasy now? It wasn't believing in something that was affecting him, it was trusting someone who was asking him to believe it.

He gave a nod before he slipped back inside. Everyone turned their eyes to him again as they had done just a few minutes earlier. He didn't meet any of their gazes, he only walked over to the table where all the guns were. He sorted through it, cutting the supply in half on the table's surface.

"Y'really think we got a chance?" Merle stepped forward, his brows lifting as sarcasm filled his smirk.

"I know that y'don't because y'aren't going." Rick said, as he checked over the boxes of ammunition they had left. Stress was written all over his face, they didn't have enough supplies. Not even to last the coming Winter.

"And what do y'expect me to do? Wipe up baby vomit and brush the ladies' hair?"

He looked up at Merle, in no mood at all to deal with him and any of the words coming out of his mouth. "You're staying here. Need someone here who can shoot properly. Michonne will keep an eye on you." He glanced over at Michonne who looked over at her name being said.

"Is this your way of asking for help?" Merle asked, standing down and setting his hand on his hip.

"I'm not asking." He replied, walking past him and over to the cellblock.

He found Jon talking quietly with Carl and a bit of regret filled him. If he was going to take Jon, then that would put him in the line of danger which could obviously kill him. Carl wouldn't like hearing that, he was growing in admiration of Jon.

"Jon?" He called out, grabbing the man's attention as he approached him.

Jon looked up at him almost hesitantly. He could see the disbelief in his eyes, the way he no doubt couldn't accept himself and Daenerys any further because of it. "Yes?"

Rick looked over at Carl who was watching him quietly. He was always just watching him, as if he were studying him. Was that even a good thing?

"Would y'come with us?" He asked, returning his gaze to the young man looking at him. He was so young and yet so visibly scarred by the events that had shaped his life. What were those events? Would he even have the ability to ask him? Would those flames return if before he could bring himself to ask? Those flames? What did he mean?

"To Woodbury?" He asked, thinking of the same town that Vera had been mauled in. The same city he had been taken to as a hostage for a bit of time. He gave him a nod. "I would. What do you plan on doing?" Rising from where he sat he gave the man in front of him the trust Rick was too hesitant to ask for, too weary.

He saw the change in Jon's eyes. Trust. That's what was suddenly always missing from his own actions of late. He had always been so quick to trust before, what had changed since then?

"Take out the threat." He said simply despite the raging storm of conflict filling his eyes. He wasn't sure if this was the right plan but he knew that sitting here and waiting to be fed to all those damn walkers wasn't the right way either. Was there even a right way anymore? Only a right way to live as long as they possibly could. And that meant taking out whatever was opposing that.

Jon nodded at that. The man was smart, he had a good head on his shoulders, any plan that came from his was likely to succeed. "When do we leave?"

"A few minutes." He replied before walking past Jon and going up the stairs for a goodbye to his little girl.

He was coming back. That's all he told himself and the thought became a permanent and repetitive fixture in the back of his mind. He let her small fingers wrap around his as he leaned down and pressed a kiss to the top of her head,. He smiled down at her, a weak and broken smile.

"I'm coming back." He said firmly with deep assurance.

He walked away from the playpen and went down the stairs. He knew Daenerys' eyes were on him but he couldn't bear to look at her. Carl followed after him and so did Jon.

They had been gone awhile, night had already fallen and the prison had calmed after their leaving. Dany was anxious, her nerves were high on end. She wasn't used to sitting here doing nothing, the world raging outside and she set aside as if she couldn't fight some part of this war. But this war wasn't hers and she was left to remain behind with all the fear burning inside.

She held Judith close in her arms, holding the bottle to her small lips. Tears had built in her eyes all night but she never let them fall. She had never been able to experience this, holding a baby no her own, Drogo's baby. Nothing ever turned out right, not for her anyways. Her dragons, her war, her husband, her son. Nothing.

"Hey there Guinevere." Merle greeted coming to stand in front of her. He had his gun in his hand. A good shot is what Rick had called him but did that matter? Dany didn't like him at all.

"Hello." She said in a low voice, her eyes looking down solely at the baby in her arms. The miracle of life through all this.

"Have a question for you."

Dany finally looked up at him, giving him her full attention. "What is it?"

"This while prophecy thing, what is it?" His eyes were inquisitive like he was somehow dying to find out.

Gently she ran her hand in a caress over Judtihs head, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "The Prince that was promised." She began, looking at Merle in the eyes. "He'll take the Iron Throne. The rightful heir." She nearly cringed at her own words. She had once thought that title belonged to her. What did belong to her but death and failure?

"And what y'all were saying bout the Sheriff's gun?"

She sighed and looked back down at the baby. "The great sword that will kill the Great Other."

"The Great Other?" Merle leaned forward, his brows knitting together.

"The God of death, darkness..."

Merle smirked but his eyes seemed affected by all she said. "Y'sure he ain't the God 'round here?"

Dany made to answer but Carol came over. She knew that Judith no doubt needed her sleep but she was hesitant to let her go. This just felt so right, this innocent child there in her arms but she handed her over to Carol anyways.

Merle left her and Dany went to her cell, laying back on the bed and closing her eyes. Sleep pulled her in immediately and a dream descended on her. Fire, all it was was fire. She could hear screams coming from the flames. Familiar screams. Rick's, Jon's, Daryl's.

Her eyes shot open and she let out an easy breath. Sitting up she rested her hand over her chest. There was no fire, there were no screams. Only the prison, the dark prison. They still weren't back yet and the images from the dream wouldn't fade.


	19. Chapter 19

**and we're rolling! Hopefully this plays out like I've envisioned it. :)**

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Rick pulled the car to a stop, the woods around them shivering in the heated wind. He gave Jon and Daryl a glance, his own heart racing rapidly in his chest. They looked back at him, waiting for his word to move ahead.

He had to think though if this was an irrational thought. He had thought about it all night, the fear of a mistake coming to him. A plan to wipe out the threat that was attempting to kill them all. He had to keep them alive, had to keep himself alive. He had to pave a road of survival that they could roam. No more death. They had tasted enough of that.

This was their only way, get into Woodbury and take out The Governor. Surviving the living was the first part, getting through the dead was the next.

He had Daryl with him, their best shot, one of his closest friends. If he were to die tonight's dying beside him would be an honor. It didn't even have to be said it was silently and honestly understood. They had each other's backs and if one went down the other went with him.

And he had Jon. Too young to be a man and yet so war bred he was beyond his age. He was sitting in the back seat, half confused and half scared by the moving car. Another world, perhaps as horrible as the one they are in now. He had agreed to come. For what? To establish trust? To show what he was worth? Either way he had given his strength to Rick's three man army.

Turning away from the two men he looked out the windshield trying to believe. Trying to find again the hope he had once had. The hope that death had torn apart. Hope didn't belong in this world that was so full of death but it was all that he had. Hope and the strength of the men he had taken with him. This wasn't a mistake. This was their final stand to show that they were meant to survive in this world.

"We stay together." He finally said, his eyes remaining ahead of him. He was so tense, so damn nervous. He couldn't brush it off though. Those nerves would compell him forward.

"What's the plan?" Jon asked, his voice touched by his anxiousness over being in the car. Or were those nerves because he was so close to death? Either way it laced through his voice and showed in his eyes.

"We take Woodbury. The same way we took the prison." Rick replied although he knew that it wasn't one and the same. The prison had been walkers, mindless and aimless. This was a town of actual armed citizens.

Jon let out a small and wavering sigh. The nerves were stemming from the plan. He had done so many things that were life threatening before but when he had been faced with all those guns back at the prison, he had never seen anything like it. A sword in the midst of flying bullets?

He gave a nod anyways. "Okay." He said, his compliance surprising even himself.

"Ain't saying the plan's wrong but it sure is one hell of a risk." Daryl spoke up as he lifted the bag of guns into his lap.

"Every risk must be taken." Rick replied, reaching over to pull his rifle out before he opened the door and steppes out.

Daryl got out as well but Jon just sat there, unsure how to get the door to work. There was no knob, no lever but soon enough Daryl came back and opened the door for him.

"You're crazy." He said with a laugh.

Jon returned then laugh awkwardly as he stepped out as well. The heat had given him a reason to leave his furs behind. Even the heaviness of his clothes made him more than uncomfortable but after a lifetime of snow falls and icy weather he welcomed the change.

Rick led the way towards Woodbury's gates. The three of them silent. The only sounds that of their shoes on the ground, the clang of guns on their backs and the breath from their lips. They were heading towards war, heading towards a possible death.

The sound of wolves howls stopped their walking and Jon tensed. He looked to Daryl, his eyes widened and uncertain.

"Ghost and Hunter." Jon said, glancing to Rick as well.

"Your wolves? I thought I told y'both to keep them quiet?" Rick demanded, lowering his voice to a harsh whisper.

Jon nodded, the nervousness growing inside of him. The wolves continued to howl and their rushed steps sent a sound through the woods as the two wolves headed towards them.

"They trying to get us caught?" Daryl questioned, looking towards the sound of the wolves footsteps.

Jon shook his head as he tried to listen to what it was that the wolves were hearing.

"They're warning us."

"Warning us against what?" Rick asked, his brows tensed.

"We're in danger." Jon replied, looking around now in case he could sew anything.

The wolves howled closer this time as the song of bullets riddled through the wind.

* * *

Dany slipped off the bed, walking out of her cell and heading to the main area. Getting herself a small amount of water she sipped at it. Her mind thought back to the memory of the sweet wines she had once had, her Khalasar, Missendei, Jorah. All of it filled her painfully. Her guilt rose up, the knowledge that when had let everyone down. Everyone she had ever loved.

The memories disappeared and her dream returned to her. Those flames had been so real, like they were licking at her very flesh. Those screams had been so close to her, those familiar screams. What did it mean? Why had she heard them screaming? Why had it come to her? What was she supposed to do with this dream?

Maybe she had to go after them? Maybe something was telling her that they were in danger out there and she had to go out after them, warn them, help them back.

The thought confused her. Rick's plan had been well thought out, he could protect the three of them. But something told her that she had to go after them, one way or another she had to make sure they were alright.

Setting down her cup of water she moved quietly to the door of the prison. It was loud as it creaked open but she quickly slipped out anyways, letting it close behind her. Walking over ton the gate in the nights dark light she saw the walkers aimlessly walking the length of the yard.

She had to get through those walkers if she wanted to make her way out. With what weapon? She had nothing but the small dagger she kept in her boot. She could die out there, chasing a dream that had come to her in the night.

The prison opened behind her and she jumped.

"Don't crawl out of your corset Guinevere." Merle said with a small laugh as he approached her.

"What do you want?"

"Rick left me in charge. Little girl, I suggest y'go back inside."

Dany sighed and looked back over the yard, her heart racing with her nerves.

"Y'thinking of leaving?" Merle asked, stepping forward.

She looked at him. "I have to."

"Need some fire?" He asked, touching to the bag at his back.

"I can't ask you to come with me." She said with a small shake of her head.

"Y'gpnna go out there because of my brother?"

"All of them." She began softly. "They're all in danger." She forced out fearfully.

"Then I'm going." He said with a shrug and heading towards the car. Dany followed after him, unsure of taking her with him. It wasn't safe, could she really ask him to risk his life for her? But it wasn't for her, it was his brother.

Reaching over he opened the passenger door as if he expected she wouldn't be able to. Slipping inside a little awkwardly she sat beside Merle.

"To Woodbury?" He asked, looking over at her as he started up the engine of the car.

Dany nodded. To the flames, she thought. Take me to the flames.


	20. Chapter 20

**New chapter! Close to an ending actually! Hope this is okay!**

* * *

Dany watched the scenery pass by outside the window. Merle was quite, his eyes solely on the . The fact that she was sitting in silence only heightened the nerves she was feeling. She could only think of the potential things that could go wrong but she couldn't just ignore the dream. She had dreamed things before and they all had come true. If those flames were going to be lit she couldn't sit by and do nothing back at the prison.

She sighed to herself, tearing her eyes from the window and looking over at Merle. She wondered why he was so quiet, what was he thinking? Would he take her to Woodbury? Would he actually help her despite the lack of trust between them? She hadnt been able to take to him, he was after all so irritatingly cruel but was there something she was missing? Was she being too quick to judge? Surely not everyone would help her to follow after something she had seen in a dream.

"Thank you.." She suddenly said, her voice barely above a whisper. She couldn't bring herself to focus on anything except those flames, those screams. She couldn't help the dark fear that echoed through . She hadnt felt this way in such a long time. How was she going to protect them?

He looked over at her, his brows pulling together lightly before he returned his gaze to the road ahead. "For what? Hopping in a car and agreeing to take y'somewhere? Ain't much of a big deal." He admitted with a small shrug of his shoulders.

"For caring." She replied, wondering if that sounded childish. She had always been told that. She was too naive, too much of a child to know she could sometimes ruin things single handedly.

"I don't care about anything." He replied with a shake of his head.

"Not even your brother?" She questioned, pushing her braid behind her. She thought of her own brother. Why hadn't she stopped her husband when he had spilled all that gold on Viserys' head? He had hurt her, had scarred her so badly she could never recover. She had been dead going into that marriage with Drogo, thinking her brother would change his mind but he never did.

He glanced at her a moment and then nodded. "My brother is the one that ,matters in this world where everything has died. But, hell, even there I've messed it up."

"All things can be fixed." She said in a low and strained voice. All things except her dragons, except her bear, except Drogo. Too many mistakes in all the years she had lived.

Merle shook his head. "I'm sure hoping he sees things this way." He replied with a shrug as if none of it mattered to him even though the weighted look in his eyes said things a lot differently.

She nodded and then lowered her eyes. The dream filling her mind again. She was hoping it wasn't just a blind fear that was leading her somewhere she shouldn't be. She knew that Rick said to wait at the prison, that no one should go after them. She also knew that taking Merle wasn't a good idea. He was, as Rick had said, a very good shot. The prison was one man weaker. She had put them in a vulnerable position. She couldn't ignore the dream though, she couldnt .

"Where should I drop y'off?" Merle asked, breaking the silence that fell on them again.

She thought about it, wondering what place it had been in her dream. She didn't know Woodbury, she couldn't even know what place it had been in the dream. Everything had just been on fire with all those screams. She was scared that she wouldn't be able to get there in time, scared that she would end up at the wrong place. She was afraid she wouldn't be able to save them just like when had been unable to save everyone else. She needed this, needed this if she wanted a chance of continuing.

"The gates." She whispered, her voice beginning to break as she spoke. Her fear was showing. "Take me to the gates."

He glanced at her a moment and then nodded. "The gates it is Guinevere." He said, picking up the cars .

She held on tightly to the seat beneath her, her heart racing as she watched the road race on in front of her. She wasn't sure what exactly this car was and even though she knew it was useful, she also couldn't help being scared. A whole different world, the ruins around her wrecking her hopes of perhaps a better life. A different world with the same fears she had always felt.

Merle slowed the car down and then altogether killed the engine. There were cars, almost the same as the one they were in, scattered around. But she saw it before her, the tall gates that were sheltering the city of Woodbury.

She opened the car door and stepped out as did Merle. She could smell smoke and the fear clenched inside of her again. The fires had already started.

* * *

Jon clenched his teeth as his breathing become more like . The pain was searing and he knew what Rick had gone through when Vera had shot him. His hand was pressed against it, blood seeping through his fingers.

Rick was pacing the room, his head hazy with the smell of smoke coming from outside. His confusion over the smell and the knowledge that Jon was bleeding out in front of him nearly sent him into a panic. He had torn strips from their shirts to make a tourniquet for the wound but the blood wouldn't stop coming.

Daryl was in another room, why The Governor had chosen to keep him with n he didn't know. All the confused panic weighed inside of him and so did the helplessness. God the helplessness was the worst.

"Am I going to die?" Jon asked before a groan escaped his lips.

Rick looked back at him and firmly shook his . "Y'arent going to die. Anyone can survive a gunshot. Especially you." He assured him gently even though inside the fear plagued him. He had brought him here, this was his plan. The fault was his.

Jon nodded but everything was becoming a blur now. The Governor had said he would send help over but they hadn't seen him since his men had thrown them in here. They had been them, how had they known?

Rick walked over to the door and again try to push at it. The chain on the other end rustled, secured no doubt with a padlock. He took a sharp breath and turned to Jon with feigned hope in his eyes.

"We're gonna get out of here." He said, nodding his head.

Jon nodded in agreement although that possibility seemed uncertain impossible even. He couldn't let himself not believe it though. He had learned so much, he knew the way back now. He couldn't have learned all of that only to die here in Woodbury for no reason at all. That didn't make any sense, none of this made any sense.

"Of course we are. You have your kids to get back to." Jon replied through a heavy breath. The pain was nearly blinding.

Rick nodded to him. Hope like that needed to be had. But Jon, no matter what he'd been through, was still a child almost. He could still hold onto hope, no matter how dire the circumstances.

Suddenly the door opened and The Governor stepped through. He looked first at Rick, a challenge sharp in his eyes. He drifted his eye to Jon, a smile painted on his lips.

"How is he doing over there?"

Rick stood up in front of Jon, his hand curling into a fist at his side. The Governor's presence was overwhelming and combined with the smoke from outside it was almost unbearable.

"I don't know why you're so mad, you came into my territory." The Governor stated with a disappointed shake of his head.

Rick would have liked to have pulled his gun just then but it wasn't there. The Governor's men had taken it. He was without a weapon standing in the face of the devil himself. He wasn't scared, he was overwrought with anger.

The Governor shrugged and then his smile began to darken. "Do you smell that?" How sniffed the air before he looked back to Rick.

Jon lifted his head as he looked at this Governors, his gaze sharp and angry. "What is it?" He dragged out.

The Governor smiled but all the while his eyes remained on Rick. It was almost like he wanted to tell him something. Wanted Rick to say something.

"This place is on fire from the bottom...I would start saying your prayers, the both of you. May you burn in peace." How chuckled at his own before he left the room.

The ribbons of flame rose stronger in the air and the thought passed Jon's mind. He had once feared the danger of Winter but now he watched as Rick had the same thought he did.

They were going to burn alive.


	21. Chapter 21

She struggled to think and yet the fear choked every good idea that could possibly enter her mind. The rising smoke and the suffocating smell of fire rose in the air rendering her incapable of thinking properly. That was Jon in there, Rick, Daryl. If she did not succeed the fire would kill them all. She had to save them, had to get them out of there alive. If that meant she had to pass through the fire then by all means she had to. Anything to save those who she cared about. Anything to save innocents from suffering at the hands of the licking flames.

Merle's eyes were solely on her, contemplative and quiet. She turned her gaze to his, meeting his and letting out a small sigh. Something had begun to cloud his eyes. She couldn't tell if it was fear or if it was something else. Somehow to her though it looked a lot like regret, remorse, the strong sting of guilt. What was plaguing this man? What was torturing him? She wanted to ask him, wanted to make those emotions flee from his eyes but she hadn't the time. Not yet. Not when this moment hung in the balance of those wretched flames.

"Got your plan down yet?" Merle asked, his voice dripping with curiosity and insistence.

"Do you know what building the smoke is coming from?" She let her gaze wander but from where she stood they could barely see a thing other than the tops of the buildings.

"I do. Looks like the storage rooms to me." He replied with an assuring nod.

"Can you get us in there?" She was hopeful suddenly with his assurance. If he could get them inside then death wasn't so close and hope was on the horizon. She just needed to cross the barriers between herself and their safety.

Merle looked up at the walls with thoughtful eyes before he looked back to her. "Pretty sure I could." He replied, rising up from the crouch he had been resting in. He gestured her up with him, tugging lightly at her arm. "We're gonna have to scale them gates, though. You up for that, Guinevere?"

She trailed her eyes from him to the gates before she nodded. "I've done worse."

He scoffed and shrugged. "Y'ever have worse than gunfire?"

"I've survived the House of the Undying, survived longer than my dragons. I'm sure I can survive gunfire." She replied, her look of regality suddenly returning. How long ago had it been since she had allowed her true self to shine through the wounds the fallen battle had created inside of her? It felt like centuries and doing so now, letting it out, felt inexplicably freeing.

"Well if y'say so." He stated, his brows knitting together before he shook his head with a small laugh. "If you're ready, so am I."

She nodded and fell in beside him, looking up at the gates with trepidation. If she didn't get past those then no one was surviving. The gunfire would catch her and Merle and the flames would engulf Jon, Rick and Daryl. She had to survive. She couldn't fail. Failure meant death and that was something she couldn't afford.

They walked slowly, moving around the stranded cars as they made their way to the gates. Merle was the first to climb, his hand getting a tight and firm grip wherever he could manage.

Dany followed him, quickly moving behind him. It was an easy climb, not at all what she had imagined. The walls weren't very high at all.

"Who's that?!" Someone shouted, a light moving to them, illuminating their ascent up the walls.

"Hey get down!"

They continued climbing, Merle glancing down at her to hurry it up. She picked up her speed until a shot was fired and then another one. Bullets rained past them, their shots unskilled and missing terribly. Dany felt invincible suddenly, having dodged the bullets that swept past her until a bullet clipped her, grazing her skin. She let out a scream of pain as blood leaked out of the wound. Merle looked down at her worriedly but she waved him off. She had told him she could survive gunfire that meant that she would.

Merle got to the top first, reaching for his gun with his hand and aiming it in their direction. Dany pulled herself up despite the pain building in her shoulder. She looked at her assailants. Mere children, civilians and a woman. This was The Governor's army?

"It's Merle!" Someone shouted, stepping forward with his gun.

Merle cocked back the trigger of his gun however making them jump back and lower their weapons. He glanced over at Dany and gestured her down the ladder that led to the streets.

"Let's go find that fire." He said as his foot reached for the first rung on the ladder.

She stood still for a moment, looking at the people who were staring back. She swallowed harshly as she thought of the slaves she had released. These were the same were they not? Thrown here with a gun in hand despite their lack of skill, despite the threats revolving around the world outside of these walls?

"Hey! Get down here c'mon before the big bastards come!" Merle shouted having already reached the last rung before he jumped down and reached the city streets.

She sighed before reaching her own leg down the ladder, catching a rung and slowly climbing down behind Merle. This was all too reflective of the life she had led before, mirroring parts of her life she never wished to lose. And perhaps all that was a sign of where she now belonged.

* * *

Rick stood up, looking to Jon with concern. The smoke was getting stronger from beneath the ground, he could already feel the heat burning the wood. Jon was incoherently groaning, his gun shot bleeding and his weakness showing in the pale of his face. But he wasn't going to die, Rick just wouldn't let him. He had to get them both out or they were going to succumb to the flames ready to swallow them alive.

He started doing whatever he could possibly do to get them both out of this. He felt around the walls until he finally felt something behind the gray wallpaper of the storage room. He peeled at it, taking it away until he found the interconnecting door. With just a bit of hope he opened it and to his surprise it wasn't locked.

He stepped inside and he saw Daryl. He was chained to a chair, his head resting back and a blindfold over his eyes. Walking over to the chair Rick knelt down and tore off the bindings on Daryl''s arms and pulled off the blindfold. Daryl stirred, looking exhausted and beat up. He had only just recently been put into this chair. The Governor's men had no doubt had a bit of fun with him.

"Daryl, c'mon let's go. The place is gonna burn." Rick explained, helping to lift him out of the chair.

Daryl dragged himself behind Rick before they got to the room where Jon was.

"What happened to him?" Daryl questioned going over to Jon with a near panic.

"He's shot."

Daryl thought for a moment, looking at the bullet wound. "I don't have anything to help him."

"We have to get out before he bleeds out." Rick replied looking around the room again for a way out. There was none unless they ripped the floor boards pout but that was where the fire was.

Daryl made to answer but the sound of Ghost and Hunter howled out, taking the words from his mouth. He looked to Rick, his eyes confident suddenly. If he believed what Jon had said, and he did, then those wolves would help them somehow. The fire wouldn't touch them.

Rick nodded to him, accepting it but still he went about checking the room making sure he hadn't missed something.

* * *

They stopped at the storage room and Dany breathed out a sigh of relief. The smoke had risen up but there wasn't a fire. Not yet at least. She looked to Merle, glad for his help. She felt someone step up behind her and she turned around to see who it was.

His height towered over her, a patch covered one of his eyes and a smirk held firm on his lips.

"Who are you?" She asked, her brows knitting together. She didn't have time for this, she needed to get into that storage room.

"I'm sorry Guinevere, looks like your plan's done with." Merle stepped beside the man who let out a small laugh.

She looked between the two men, seemingly shocked. It couldn't actually be true. Merle was Daryl's brother, how could he have done this? She made to question but the taller man took hold of her, bringing her harsh against him before Merle pulled something over her head. Despite her struggling she felt herself being lifted and thrown somewhere before whatever it was she was in began to move. She let out a cry, a plea and then an angry curse but they didn't stop and they didn't let her go.


	22. Chapter 22

She woke with her hands bound, the bag not yet off her head and her breathing ragged. The hit to the back of her head had been enough to knock her out as time went on. Sh was too afraid to call out, too scared to figure out what would be waiting for her once this bag was off of her head. She had faced so many trials in her life. The House of the Undying, Yunkai, Mereen, the final war and yet all of them she had survived. Why was she so scared to rise up against this threat? Why was so hesitant in thinking that she could win? Was it because it was something new? Something different? Was she afraid of the knowledge that she did not know quite what she was up against?

It came back to her then. She hadn't saved them. Rick, Jon and Daryl were still out there. Trapped in some room with that fire raging and the smoke filling the air. She had been so close, she could see the smoke already. Merle had brought her there and yet he had turned on her. Why was there always betrayal? Three betrayals. Was this yet another one? Had he not cared when it was his brother that was there? Or had he solely been working for The Governor the whole time? The darkness of family. Sometimes it never matters what blood flows through your veins.

Her breath stopped when she heard a door creak open, the dusty sound of footsteps as they approached her. Fear stifled down her strength and helplessness echoed in her mind. She was afraid. What was this to make her afraid? This was new, this was different. This was a world that she had yet to know of.

"Who's there?" She shakily asked, his brows furrowing beneath the bag on her head.

A small familiar chuckle sounded and the bag was pulled from her head. Merle looked at her, smiling smugly at her. "Just me, Guinevere. No screaming though, I might have to cut off your Rapunzel braid."

She sighed heavily, staring into those untrusting blue eyes with distaste. That's what it had been all along. Betrayal. He had betrayed his own brother. His brother and his group. The means of survival for so many people. She stared at him with a bad taste in her mouth, disbelief written in her violet eyes.

"Don't look at me like that. I didn't betray you. It was them fools at the prison I done fooled." He chuckled but it was still there, that glint that hinted at remorse. Was that what was alive the whole time in his gaze? He knew what he was doing and at the same time he also feared it. He was turning his back on the last person that mattered, was that what he wanted his life to be?

"Why?" She breathed out, struggling against her restraints but getting nowhere with that.

"A man's gotta eat and y'see this right here?" He patted at his stomach with a low chuckle. "Needs to be filled every so often. Y'ever see the crap they eat over at the prison? I done had enough of prison food in my stints before, don't need none of it now."

She barely followed his words and she sighed. He wasn't one to mess with because of strength but somehow deep inside she knew how to break him. Hit him where it would hurt the most and nothing else would matter but the guilt that crawled up inside of him.

"You can tell yourself that all you want but it hurts you, doesn't it? To know that your brother, the last person you have left is now gone to you if you don't reconsider all of this?"

He stared at her and for a moment the look she wanted flickered in his eyes before he blinked it away. "Trying to make me feel bad ain't gonna work princess, gonna have to do better than that." He scoffed at her as he knelt down in front of her, his eyes full of a glare that he hasn't gotten rid of.

"What are you going to do with me?" She asked, knowing that her days of being feared, of being loved were over. She had her dragons before, she had broken bonds of slaves. Without her dragons she was just a stupid girl. Before all it took was a simple word, Dracarys, and the world would fall to their knees in fear. She had no such power now but she had the strength inside of , she knew she did. It was a matter of getting out of her captivity. Now it was her own chains she had to break.

"That's up to The Governor, I'm just following orders." He stood up again, trailing his finger along the blade attached to his arm. Was it a threatening gesture or was it something less?

"And your orders are?"

"Do whatever it takes to make those three die in that fire. The Governor's done more for me than anyone else ever has. I owe him my life."

She nodded slowly, taking the dryness of her lips with her tongue. "I can understand that but your brother..." She whispered.

"Maybe...maybe he's better off out of this world." Merle replied, his shoulders slumping just a little. He didn't believe that. He wanted Daryl to live but there was only so much one can do with a king breathing down his neck.

"Let me out and I can save him." She whispered, just as the howls of wolves sounded from outside.

He looked out the window at the far end of the room and he sighed with a shake of his head. He watched the smoke rise up, saw there flames beginning to lick up. "No one can save him now."

* * *

The wood beneath them was burning up, the thickness of it rotting away with the rising of the flames. Jon felt suffocated, the pain in his arm nearly unbearable. He wanted to scream out, wanted to beg for death. He'd felt pain before but this was excruciating. His fear added to it, weakening him to the point of helplessness. The only thing keeping him alive was the howls of Ghost and Hunter from outside.

He had a dream when he had passed out. There weren't any direwolves except his and Daryl's. Ghost and Hunter mourning the loss of their pack. Were they all that was left of the Starks? Of the great family of the North? The thought pained him but he had always known that, hadn't he?

If Daryl was his relative that meant so was Merle. If Ghost and Hunter were the last remaining wolves then that meant Daryl, somehow, had to have come from Jon's own line. But he was a Brother of the Night's Watch, they took no wife, they bore no children.

He pushed his confusing thoughts away and looked up when Rick said something to him. The words were blurred, the sound of commotion was hazy. The only thing clear enough was the threat of fire. They were going to die.

"Them wolves afraid of fire?" Daryl questioned his voice panicked as he paced back and forth. The howls were loud but no help was coming.

Rick heavily sighed, looking away from Jon and bringing his gaze to Daryl. "There's no way out." Rick stated, kicking at the floorboards in some sort futile attempt to calm the raging fire below. Of course it didn't work and the fear continued its work of choking the strength out of all three men.

"No way this is how we're dying." Daryl said with shaky strengthen in his voice. He rushed at the door Rick had found him in and looked around. Nothing but the chair he had been bound to. Cursing he rushed inside the room where Jon and Rick were and hit at the door that was locked from the other side. They were trapped, they had no . Rick was right, they had no way out.

"Always thought y'and I would die together." Daryl said, looking up at Rick with desperate eyes. "Just thought we'd be out killing some damn walkers not trapped with a fire." He laughed a dry laugh.

Rick attempted an assuring smile as he reached out his hand and set it firmly on Daryl s shoulder. "We ain't gonna die." He said with a sudden look of encouragement reaching his eyes.

Just then Jon cried out, the flames had reached higher on his part, licking quickly through the wood and barely caressing the skin of his legs. Rick rushed forward, taking hold of him and pulling him out of thew chair. Jon cried out again, the pain from the burns combining with the pain from his gunshot. He set Jon against the wall carefully and then glanced over at Daryl. They were both hoping the same thing. They sure as hell hoped they had a plan to back up the reassurance. There was no way either of them were gonna die in this fire. Not today.


	23. Chapter 23

Dany listened to the sound of the wolves, her anxious fear rising up the more time passed. She was afraid that she wasn't going to get out of here soon enough, that by the time these bonds were loosed they were all going to die. Her eyes watched Merle, apparently her guard in her captivity. She'd been trying for a long while to get him to let her go but he was immovable. He wasn't going to listen, no matter how much guilt he felt over allowing this to happen. He was bound to his master and whatever The Governor said was law.

She sighed heavily, wondering what Daryl would think if he were here now. He would be broken, at a loss for words over his brother's inability to help save him. Dany was holding out hope though. All chains can be shaken, they just needed the right amount of shaking to break them off.

"When I first met Daryl...I hated him." Merle laughed a little as he turned his blue gaze to Dany. He was thinking, too much. His guilt was rising up in his eyes and it was choking at him. "Hated that there'd be a damn rascal running about making my life miserable. I lived my own life."

"When you met him?" She questioned, shifting a little in her chair so she could get a better look at him while he spoke.

Merle nodded. "He's my mama's friends son. His parents died in some hunting accident or whatever and my mama, saint that she was, took him in, raised him as her own. Never was my brother, y'see?" He looked at Dany and she knew what he was trying to do. He was trying to make standing idly by while Daryl perished easier to carry. He was trying to give himself an excuse for not rushing out to save him.

"Still makes him your brother." She said softly, her eyes softening. She couldn't deny that she was beyond angry with him. Shades of her past began to rush through her mind but then so did that unceasing thought that she still loved her brother no matter what he did to her. Viserys had been blood and blood was thicker than anything, wasn't it? At least to her it was.

Merle sighed, rubbing a little at his neck with his whole hand. "Guess he is my brother. But I never did no right by him, why should I start now?" The guilt was overflowing in his eyes, spiking in them with agony.

"Because sometimes we have to make the decision to change things." She wasn't sure what to say. How does one convince a hopeless man to pick up his brokenness and find a bit of faith in the thought of survival?

Merle breathed out a chuckle and shook his head a little. "Looks like y'really are out of one of 'em fables, ain't you?" He met her eyes, trying to brush all of this off as a joke but he couldn't trick himself into thinking of it that way.

"Just trying to make things right." She replied.

Anything Merle was going to say was cut off by the sound of the wolves close by the window. One of them jumped, its coat ghostly white. Dany smiled a little, Jon's Direwolf. Perhaps there was still hope after all.

"What the hell?" Merle questioned as he went to inspect near the window, jumping back when the wolf hit harder at the window.

"Let me go, Merle or they will not back down."

"Thought they were that kids wolves?" He questioned, looking to her with a bit of panic in his eyes.

She nodded her head. "And Daryl's. They're here to protect them."

Merle looked back at the vicious wolves, they kept banging at the window over and over and a crack began to form.

"Let me go!" She shouted, struggling against her bonds.

Merle wasn't sure what to do, frozen in his spot between following his orders and doing what was right. A heavy sigh of nervousness escaped his lips before he darted to Dany's chair and began working on releasing her bonds.

She spoke eager words to him, needing him to hurry. The wolves kept coming until finally the glass broke and the two of them leaped inside. Merle shot backwards just as Dany's bonds fell to the ground.

She stood up, rubbing at her wrists and looking down at Ghost and Hunter with brightened eyes. Yes, there was still hope. She was the blood of the dragon, and although she was without her dragons that didn't mean she had to sit idly by while fire enveloped the world in its blaze.

Turning to look at Merle who was staring at the wolves with questioning eyes she gave him an assuring smile. "Thank you." She whispered.

He didn't answer, he just continued to stare. There was pain in his eyes. He knew what this would cost him, listening to The Governor, turning the group in. He knew it meant losing Daryl, he knew that Jon was somehow of his blood. He'd lost everything for his mistake and that pain shone in his eyes but there was also a glimmer of hope. Hope because he knew, he trusted that Daryl was going to live.

Dany turned from him, stepping through the broken window, followed by the wolves behind her. Her captivity was over and now she had her mission. Break the bonds and let the fire only touch those that deserved to burn.

Jon sighed as Rick steadied him. His eyes fluttered closed as he watched Daryl pound at the unmoving door. The flames were licking up around their legs. He could hear Rick hissing in pain, could see the quickness of Daryl's steps. Jon was making himself numb to it, the pain from the gunshot much more distracting than the lick of flames. But the knowledge that death was near shrouded his thoughts, made him already dead to the world. He'd come so close to knowing his end, his fate and yet now death was ready to take it all away.

The prophecy, his family, the flames waiting to rise again as a portal to his true world. He needed to get back, needed to know his place. What was the last thing that he had to do. He looked up at Daryl. His blood, his family. The Northerners had not died out.

"It's no use!" Daryl shouted, his eyes ripping to Rick's with desperation. His face was reddened by the heat, his voice callous.

Rick heavily sighed, gesturing Daryl to stand with Jon as he took over. There were tears in the man's eyes. He was afraid. He had his children back at the prison, a group to lead. He was watching everything that mattered to him fall apart before his very eyes. He could see it in the haze of the smoke, could feel it in the rip of the fire. This was his end and he was facing it with exasperated strength.

"Not today." Jon spoke the words in a deep gasp, not knowing why the words came to him. Death wasn't going to touch him. He saw memories in his head, his family. His brothers and sisters. His father. His brothers of the Night's Watch. No. He was meant for more than this. He was meant for something greater than ashes.

Daryl looked down at Jon, meeting the man's eyes with a bit of sadness. "Stay with me." He pleaded, his eyes softening. This man was something to him. Jon had come here, had shown him that he had always belonged to something, that he had always been somebody even when he hadn't believed it. Hunter meant he was connected to a world far greater than his backwoods torture of a past.

Just then the wolves howls grew greater and there was rattling at the door. Rick rushed forward just as the flames rushed higher. He tried to breathe through the smoke, his eyes searching through the smoke as he made it to the door. He pulled at it, hearing the pounding. There was a blunt sound on the otherside of the door before it finally pulled open.

Dany stood there, dropping a heavy object to the ground as she met Rick's surprised eyes through the smoke. She smiled a little seeing he was alive still, knowing that she hadn't been too late.

"We have to go."


	24. Chapter 24

They scrambled out of the room. Rick made to go back but Dany immediately held him back. "Don't!" She cried out with desperation. The flames were rising higher and she knew that he wouldn't survive in the midst of them. But she could. She knew that.

She ran in, shoving Daryl out and ordering him to keep Rick back. She watched Daryl rush out before she moved inside. She saw Jon slumped against the wall. His arm was bleeding, the blood dripping to the ground. His eyes were fluttering closed and it was obvious he was going to pass out soon.

"Jon? I'm going to get you out of here." Daenerys said once she reached him, gently smoothing back the mess of his hair from out of his face. She could feel herself getting dizzy with the heavy smoke lifting in the air. But the fire wouldn't hurt her, flames did nothing to burn away the skin of her body. She herself would survive she just had to make sure that Jon got out alive too.

Jon mumbled something that Dany couldn't quite hear as she carefully lifted Jon's arm over her shoulder. She groaned a little at the weight it burdened on her but she managed to pull him along. She could hear Daryl and Rick nearly shouting between each other. She was sure that Rick wanted to come in here, help her but Daryl was listening to her order.

She tried to make it through the door but a sound from above stopped her. Someone had cut through the roof it seemed and had taken away the tile. She saw legs slide in first before he dropped down to the fire licked floor. A gasp escaped her lips as she The Governor rise up there, staring at her with a heavy glare in his eyes.

She pushed Jon to Daryl before standing up near The Governor. She stared at him, a mirrored glare in her eyes as she refused to stand down despite the blaze nearly engulfing the place.

"Well what do we have here? More than Guinevere like Merle calls you. More like Joan of Arc." He chuckled where he stood, his hand reaching down to the gun at his hip. He was looking her over, wanting to knock down the look of superiority alive in her features.

She didn't answer, she just stared at him, unmoving, unrelenting. She was stronger than he was and she knew that. She could overcome the harshest punishment and live. He would stand there overwhelmed by flames, dying as the skin ripped from his bones. Daenerys would rise up out of it, her hair burned perhaps but nothing else. Perhaps once he saw that he would find that he wasn't going to win this.

He walked past her, over to the door before looking in at her. "I hope you like fire because that's how you'll die." Again he chuckled as he made his way out the door.

She heard the door slam, heard the lock set in place. She panicked at first, feeling the heat rise up around her legs, singing the material of her dress. Her eyes shot upwards, the missing tile piece that The Governor had moved away. She couldn't reach it, her height wasn't giving her a way to. She was stuck here. But then she calmed, realizing that the fire wouldn't hurt her just like what had happened before. She was untouchable. Born from the flames, the fire rushed through her blood. She would survive this, she just had to wait until the fire blew out an opening for her.

Rick backed away from the door with both Jon and Daryl when they saw The Governor come out. Rick looked behind him, not seeing Dany there and immediately feel an anger rise up inside of him. He could feel himself lose it, rushing at The Governor and grabbing ahold of his shoulders.

Rick knew he had taken him by surprise by the way The Governor had gone down. He let out an angered yell as he fell to the ground, struggling to push Rick off of him. He didn't move though, he kept him pinned there, his legs now straddling him as he slammed his fist down into his face.

Everything that had built up over the course of time. The anger, the losses that had stacked up because of him, because of this town. Everything had fallen because of him. Each memory that shot through his head went into the force he hit The Governor with. Until finally he stopped, the exertion echoing in the heaviness of his breath. He stared down at The Governor's beaten face and felt a surge of relief rush through him.

When The Governor groaned Rick stood up off of him, standing over him, his breathing finally calming as much as it could. He turned to look at Daryl who was struggling to support Jon's weight. Daryl gave him a mere nod just as The Governor was starting to stir again, beginning to rise up.

Merle came out, his eyes watching the scene hesitantly. He looked at his brother, studied him. He knew what was going to happen here and a part of him wanted it, was anxious for it.

Rick bent down, taking from The Governor the gun that he had holstered at his side. He stood up over him, looking down and cocking back the trigger of his gun. There weren't any screams coming from the burning house. He wasn't sure what that meant but all that flooded him was a sharp fear. A fear and an intense anger.

The Governor laughed despite the blood smeared on his face. He opened his eye to look up at Rick despite the heavy pain he was feeling. "Gonna shoot me?" He asked, staring at the barrel of his own gun.

Rick simply nodded, wanting this to just be over finally. The gun was leveled, the trigger cocked. It felt as if his breath had stopped, his heart ceasing with it.

The Governor laughed again and managed to shake his head. "Don't think y'have the guts to pull that trigger." He said with heavy mockery in his voice.

Rick swallowed down the trembling trepidation coursing through him before he glanced back at Daryl again, at Jon, smelled the smoke of the engulfing fire.

"Do it." A voice called out from the doorway of the house.

Rick lifted his eyes and saw Dany standing there. Her hair had singed away, her body was blackened with smoke but she was untouched. Her clothes were gone but not a single part of her skin had been burned, or torn away. He stared at her with wonder in his eyes, frozen with disbelief.

The Governor made to look when Daenerys ordered him again to do it. But the gun went off, the loud echo of the bullet escaping the chamber and entering The Governor's head.


	25. Chapter 25

**One more chapter after this...one or one and a half? :0! Not sure! But here it is, hope y'all like it!**

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Everything died down around him. Silence blurred with the panic as Rick stood there, watching the blood pour from The Governor's wound. It was over, just like that. The war that seemed to have gone on for an eternity was finally at an end. It ended with the pull of the trigger, the firing of a bullet. Just like that it was done and somehow he was able to breathe more easier. The world around him didn't seem as bleak, not now, not anymore. He could feel the release that one death brought and despite the sickness that rose in his stomach over the sight all he felt inside was relief.

He heard a flush of commotion around him and immediately he lifted his eyes. He saw Daryl covering up Daenerys, asking if she was alright. Jon was being laid on some sort of gurney and being taken away for help. Merle was standing there, watching The Governor fade into the abyss he had so darkly formed for everyone and yet there he was, fading into it just as easily. He died in the midst of the trap he had worked out. He hadn't seen the end, his death had been the end.

"Rick?" Y'alright?" Daryl asked, coming over, Daenerys behind him as he clasped his hand on Rick's shoulder. His eyes were full of uncertain worry, every line on his face softened, shot through with concern. He'd seen Rick slip away before he didn't want to see it happen again. Not when they were so close to overcoming another burden, not when life was handing them the keys to the gates of their torture. They had surpassed this and right now it felt like they could overcome anything. They were that strong, not so easily governed at all. They wouldn't go down so quickly.

Rick blinked away the thoughts clouding his eyes and he lowered his arm, the weight of his Python heavy in his hand. He looked up at Daryl, giving him a nod. His eyes searched his friends face, looked over his body. There were burns, just like there was on him but nothing at all that was too serious. Almost frantically he looked towards the gurney that was being rolled away. He'd been shot, burned by the lick of the flames. "Jon!" He called out, his brows tensing together as he watched them wheel him into a nearby building.

"They're helping him. He'll be just fine." Daryl assured, his own eyes looking after Jon. He could only hope that the bullet wound hadn't caused too much damage, that he hadn't lost too much blood. Scars were inevitable. They always would be in a time like this and perhaps even in the world Jon had come from. Direwolves, dragons and thrones. It sounded like one of those books he would only look at the pictures in. Fairy tale through and through and yet Jon was here and so was Daenerys. Could he deny their existence simply because it seemed outlandish?

Rick nodded, letting his eyes drag on over to Daenerys. He looked at Daryl's poncho wrapped about her shoulders. The ashy gray from the fire dusted on her skin but her skin was still as smooth and pale as before. Her eyes seemed more alive than they had since knowing her. She was looking at Rick, returning the gaze of wonder right back into his eyes. She was overwrought with what had just happened. She had expected it, hadn't she? Had she been through it before? Had she stepped through the fire untouched and come out with more air and life inside of her?

"You're alright." She whispered, her small hand lifting as her other hand clutched the poncho to her. She touched her fingers to the skin of her face as a light smile formed on her lips. There were burns on his face, he didn't feel them now but the ache of them would present themselves soon enough. The coarse stubble seemed to burn beneath her fingertips and the way he closed his eyes on her touch made it apparent that he felt her, that he was as alive as she was. She hadn't failed. For the first time in so long she had come out of something unscathed and without a loss.

"So are you." He replied, his voice hushed, lowered and shaken. The gentleness of her touch combined oddly and darkly with the sudden feeling of sickness he felt over the body lying on the ground, the blood pooling on the ground beneath him. They had made it out, not much death had scarred their attempt except this one man. This Governor who seemed to have wanted the world and who had sacrificed life to get it. He was as dead as the Walkers, perhaps more so, lost to the darkness Rick's bullet had sent him to.

"I am." She laughed a little before bringing herself forward and despite the feeling of rigidity coursing through his body she still rested against his chest. A small breath of a cry escaped her lips as her fingers clutched to the front of his chest. She had been so afraid she had lost him, lost them all. She had to admit that she had even been afraid to walk through those flames again. How could she have anticipated it happening again? The last time there had been dragon eggs, the last time she had walked through with a sacrifice tied to the pyre. This time had been to save the lives of three men, she had been nervous, timid with fear and yet here they all stood, alive and breathing.

"And it's time to get y'both home...right?" Daryl asked with a touch of reluctance that shone in his eyes and was reflected in Daenerys' expression.

Rick nodded, gently setting her away from him and turning towards the building they had taken Jon into. "We'll figure it out." He stated, gesturing Dany and Daryl with him, his determination deterred by his hesitance to let either of them go, especially after all this.

Two weeks passed and Jon was already better. The gun shot had formed a glossy scar and the burns had their effect but he was determined to push past it and regain his former vigor. He stood now, watching the prison yard from the murky perch window in the cell block. They were working on fortifying the prison, working on patching the fences up. He could see Rick standing next to Carl, kneeling in front of the broken locks and trying to patch them up. Daenerys was nearby, holding Judith closely to her chest, her smile soft as she looked down at the small girl in her embrace.

He was the only one who seemed to not belong. He was the only one standing up on the perch, watching as the others fixed up the prison. He didn't feel apart of this, even with Ghost standing at his feet, none of it felt right. He wanted it to. A part of him didn't want to go back to Westeros, didn't want to see again the despair that had fallen over the Seven Kingdoms. This place here, with this struggling group of survivors, was thriving. They had just overcome the biggest obstacle thrown their way, the dawn was finally rising in their bleak darkness and they were alive. Daenerys belonged here, her need to live extending to this group, extending to Rick. Jon just couldn't find a place no matter how hard he tried.

"Up on your feet I see." Daryl called out, bringing Jon's attention away from the window.

Jon laughed a little and gave a nod. "Got tired of that cell. Was never one for being locked up."

Daryl nodded and made his way to the stairs, leaning against the railing. Hunter was trailing behind him, its dark coat shiny in the ashen light. "Understandably."

Jon smiled, lowered his ways a moment. The glint of Longclaw's hilt catching his eye, another reminder that he belonged somewhere else.

"Your leaving...aren't you?" Daryl hadn't moved his eyes, he just kept his gaze solely on Jon, on this man who was a part of him. Merle they had left behind in Woodbury, that town that was now left to pick up the ashes of The Governor's domain. Perhaps he would see him again but the bond was broken, he hadn't wanted to save him, he had left Daryl for the flames. Rick was like his brother, of course but Jon here made it so that he had reason, he had a past, he had an actual family, there were other people who would care about him.

"I have to." Jon stated, lifting his gaze and meeting Daryl's eyes with that present touch of hesitance.

"I know." Daryl replied with a low sigh and a nod of his head. "Rick's taking y'out where y'said those flames were, told me to fetch you. C'mon." He gestured Jon with him, Ghost and Hunter following in their footsteps as they stepped out into the sun beaten yard.


	26. Chapter 26

**Alright this took longer than forever and I'm more than sorry! But here is the second to the last chapter...please enjoy?**

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Rick watched Jon and Daryl come out of the cell block and he looked over to Dany who was standing nearby with Judith in her arms. She sighed softly and went to his side after handing the baby over to Carol with a bit of a smile. She touched her hand lightly to his arm and looked up at him, looking to see his state. She wondered if he was upset, how he would be coping with another loss in his life. Jon wasn't here long but neither had Dany and she felt herself suddenly attached to him. She knew that he was hurting, she could see it in his eyes and she wished there was a way for her to make everything better.

"Are you alright?' She softly asked, lightly tugging at his arm, Her eyes had softened and were waiting on his reply. The absence of Judith in her arms made her feel somewhat empty. She had felt so complete with her in her embrace, the baby's sweet weight gentle in her arms. And the thought that Judith was Rick's baby made everything feel so complete. She wasn't even sure why that was or if she was ready to even figure it out yet.

Rick looked down at Daenerys, a smile reaching his lips. The smile was worn, saddened, filled with a drawn look in his eyes. He was watching Jon approach and a part of him was wasting away knowing that he was losing someone else. He was losing the life he was becoming used to. The life that had suddenly begun to matter to him again. He nodded down at her, setting his hand over hers, the warmth of her skin soothing to his. "I am." He replied in a low voice before he let the smile fade again.

Finally Jon and Daryl came over to them and Daenerys saw that the same saddened lost was glimmering in Daryl's eyes. Jon, this young man who was ready to go back to the world he had loved and known would be sorely missed. He was strong, brave, loyal, his eyes showed the personality that this group had become so fond of. She would miss him too. They had come to this strange, distorted realm together and now they would go their separate ways, they would break the bond that had somehow led them both here. She felt a nag of pulling inside of her at the thought even though she knew that was necessary.

"Ready?" Rick asked, looking between the two men, his eyes clear and yet holding their usual firmness. He looked solely at Jon then, stepping forward causing Dany's hand to drop from his arm, the absence of the warmth of her skin falling away from him. "Are y'sure 'bout this?" he questioned, looking at him with what? Hope? For what? That he wouldn't leave. He couldn't quite believe that he would want to go back after finding Daryl, after living in what he had called something of a ruin.

"I am, Rick." Jon replied with a small nod of his head as he glanced towards Daryl for something of reassurance. His eyes trailed back towards Rick with a bit of a smile making its way onto his face, his eyes holding this groups leader with both respect and gentleness. "Thank you...for all of this. For letting me stay here." His gaze softened as he stepped closer, unsure exactly on how to proceed next. He held his hand out to Rick, wanting nothing but respect and the lasting effects of everything they had been through at each other's sides. This whole thing had been unexpected, something more than anything he had been through before.

Rick took Jon's hand and shook it with a nod towards him. "Of course." he replied with a smile, a grateful one. They hadn't done much with each other, hadn't really spoken outside of plans and questions but Rick didn't see it as a lack of a bond. Anyone who survived together had something with each other, anyone who lived and breathed while struggling to get past the plague that had taken over their world was family, they were what mattered. Jon had done that for them, had gone into plans without hesitance to help them all survive. Something like that was so rare.

They stood back from each other, letting the silence to wrap around them. Jon looked to Dany and then to Rick again. Rick nodded, nudging Daryl with him towards the cars, muttering that they would get the car ready. Jon and Dany both watched them leave before turning back to each other, letting the silence linger on still. Neither of them really knew what to say, just like it had been when they had first met. He was still stunned that she was the last Targaryen, her eyes a hypnotic sight. And Jon, to her, was still one of the strongest men she had ever met. The flames had sent them here and the flames were leading them apart.

"So you're staying?" He asked and she nodded with something of a smile. "Good luck." He said, stepping forward and daring his own arms to go around her. Again he hadn't known her long, barely knew anything about her but he did know that this was the last time he would ever see her again. It was something Milton had said, the part when she was never heard of again after the fallen war. The part when Jon had so much to do still back in the Seven Kingdoms. "Are you coming?" He asked, looking down at her.

She nodded, gently shifting out of his arms to lead the way towards the car where Rick and Daryl were waiting. Jon nodded to them as he slipped into the backseat where Daryl was sitting as well. Dany got into the front, glancing at Rick who looked back. His eyes watched the scene of the prison pass away through his window, an excitement filling him as he thought of what was waiting for him through those flames this time.

Finally the prison slipped away and a bit of field came into view. The place wasn't far from the prison but the car got them there quicker. Ghost watched out the window as well, nestled next to Daryl as he did. The area was not easily forgotten although there was little to make it memorable. Rick pulled the car over but his eyes caught sight of something that sent a bit of panic through them.

Everyone's eyes followed. Walkers were strewn everywhere, their dead steps dragging on the ground, their loud snarls echoing in the air. Jon looked over at Daryl who pushed open the door without fear, stepping out. He was determined to make this work for Jon, one way or another. He was followed by Rick who drew his knife and took some down. Jon drew Longclaw, stepping forward and prepared to fight until suddenly the flames appeared before his eyes. The walkers were drawn to it, Rick stopped to stare and Daryl was absolutely speechless.

"Go!" Dany shouted to Jon as she dug a knife of her own into one of the walkers.

Jon looked back and then darted towards the flames, walkers followed him, their dragging steps marching towards him relentlessly. Rick rushed forward, unholstering his Python and cocking back the trigger. Jon had disappeared beyond the flames but he could still hear the walkers coming his way. Before him there were White Walkers everywhere, scattered among the wintry land. They caught sight of him, their snow weathered forms coming at him methodically. He had nowhere to run, a walker came behind him, clawing at him from behind. He let out a yell, his grip on Longclaw faltering as it skirted out of his hands. He tried to get away but what would he run into but the army of White Walkers ahead of him?

That's when he heard a shot, a loud shot no doubt coming from Rick's Python from the other side of the flames. The round shot through the walkers head, making it fall limp behind Jon but the round continued, slipping through the snow speckled air and lodged itself into one of the White Walkers. A screech sounded and Jon watched as the army joined in the sound in unison before spurting into ash and filling the snowy ground with their death.


	27. Chapter 27

**Last chapter!**

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Jon had risen, looking across the snow covered land with confusion laden in his eyes. Th White Walkers ash was spread everywhere, the wind swirling it as it mixed with the ivory snow. This wasn't what he had expected to come back to. Did this mean that the White Walkers were gone? Did this mean that no one in the Seven Kingdoms had fulfilled this part of the prophecy? But instead Rick had, a man from a whole other realm. Somehow that made sense. Somehow everything made sense. Even as he stood there now, a long figure beyond the Wall, the ash of the White Walkers all around him and a single bullet casing laying atop the snow. This was indeed where he was supposed to be.

He traveled long after that. Heading back to the Capitol with one sole purpose on his mind. He had wolf blood in his veins, Ghost an ever constant reminder of that. He was a Stark, that was what connected him to Daryl, that was what connected him to everything. It wasn't something he was ever going to be forgetting. This was his calling. That's what Milton had meant, he had more things to do back home. Somehow he had known that's what Milton had been saying.

The Lannisters fell easily enough. No one cared much that he had taken the kings life, in the Throne room too. Shades of the Mad King sparked across the city and all were now free of the tyrranical chains they had all fell victim to. Jon was their new king, setting the crown upon his head and saying the words that he hadn't ever dreamed to hear. This wasn't what he had envisioned for himself. He had always been somewhat envious that Robb, his brother, would have been the one with the title but himself? That wasn't the type of man that he was.

"Bow before your king, Jon of House Stark, first of his name, son of Eddard Stark, king of the Andals and the first men, lord of the Seven Kingdoms and protector of the realm." his hand spoke proudly, glancing at the wolf king with a smile. Yes this was where he was supposed to be.

The boy lifted his head, his sister young and lovely at his side. He lifted his hands to Jon carefully, as if he were holding a fragment of dragon glass. But what he had there in his palm was something far superior than that ancient glass.

Jon couldn't help but smile, the crown on his head a bit too heavy, the sharpness of the throne uncomfortable and yet not at all dangerous to him. He reached forward, glancing again at the boys sister who bore a striking resemblance to Daryl, those same blue gray eyes that bore into you, begging to belong. He smiled at her and she smiled back. The line didn't stop with his brothers, the line continued with him.

He lifted what the boy had brought before his dark eyes and again couldn't suppress a smile. The single bullet casing, Rick's casing. The one gunshot that had saved the realm, the White Walkers no longer a problem, he wondered if that would stop the plague on the other side of the flames. There would be other wars for Jon to fight no doubt but that was nothing compared to the death for the group he had left at the prison but that didn't scare him. They would survive it, better than he could. His life was here, in Westeros, in the same throne room his father had once been in. A lovely girl who he knew would be his queen, Rick's shell casing in his hand and the knowledge that the wolves had yet to end. His path had started with the fiercely grim son go of walkers, layered over the melody of ice and it would end with the raging music of fire.


End file.
